Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada has said that Japan will continue to cooperate with Pakistan in the field of water, including the supply of safe water and the improvement of sewage treatment.
The envoy made these remarks at the inaugural and groundbreaking ceremonies of two Japanese grant aid projects in Faisalabad.
The ambassador, while stressing the importance of water supply services for Pakistan, said that the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will continue to assist with water supply services conducted by the government of Punjab and the government of Pakistan.
The government of Japan and JICA have supported water supply system development in WASA Faisalabad (WASA-F) since 2004 to strengthen urban water services for sustainability.
Chief Representative of JICA, Pakistan Office, Kinoshita Yasumitsu, said that JICA is expecting the Water and Sanitation Agency Faisalabad (WASA-F) to take the lead in utilizing the lessons learned from the projects for reforming water supply management not only in Faisalabad and Punjab but all across the country.
The 1.616 billion Japanese yen Project for the Replacement of Pumping Machinery at Inline Booster Pumping Station and Terminal Reservoir in Faisalabad” accomplished replacement of inefficient transmission pumps with new efficient ones, construction of pumping station, and rehabilitation of reservoirs. Through these components, a reduction in electricity costs and an increase in the maximum daily water supply will be achieved.
JICA assisted WASA-F to formulate the Master Plan in 2019, targeting the next 20 years of future water supplies, sewerage, and drainage in Faisalabad, to become the first successful water utility in Pakistan as a role model for other water utilities.
The Project for the Improvement of Water Treatment Plant and Water Distribution System in Faisalabad has been formulated as a priority project under the Master Plan, aiming not only to increase the water supply capacity for the currently unserved 50,000 inhabitants but also to expand the output of the pilot projects in the grant project’s target area.
The objective of this project is the renewal of the Old Jhal Khanuana Water Treatment Plant and the rehabilitation of water transmission and distribution facilities, thereby contributing to the improvement of the water supply system in Faisalabad City under this 4.094 billion Japanese yen grant-aid project.
JICA is also planning to assist WASA-F through a new technical cooperation project aimed at improving its management capacity.
Through this continuous assistance, WASA-F is expected to enhance water supply service levels, improve customer satisfaction, improve tariff revenue, and improve the financial condition of WASA-F for future investment leading to further improvements in services.
