Water Pakistan

The start of a capacity building institute is a step in the right direction though late. We need to define our needs very clearly lest this institute also becomes a show piece.

It should be working towards
1. Practical, affordable and locally manageable technologies to wards sewerage water treatment and use.
2. Reasonable drinking water treatment methods
Design, manage and locally fabricate the above two initiatives.

3.Quick testing for microbiological safety of drinking water
4.Standards for pipes, and sanitary fittings
5. Design for domestic sanitation pit

Cont
M Jahangir
Islamabad

Surce http://thenews.com.pk/27-11-2010/islamabad/17554.htm
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Mumtaz Alvi
Islamabad
Pakistan with only 16 percent out of 12,000 water supply schemes providing safe water for human consumption is soon to have a National Capacity Building Institute of Water Quality Management.
A South Korean team of experts has arrived in Pakistan to finalise the details for the first ever project of its nature in this part of the world. The friendly country will be bearing the cost (US $213 million) and building the four-storey institute within the premises of Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) here.
Presently, all the civic bodies including Wasa, Public Health Engineering and Local Government mechanism have technical hands but they are not specifically educated and trained diploma holders to ensure water quality fit for human consumption.
The Korean team will be holding discussions with the Minister of Science and Technology Azam Swati, Secretary Irfan Nadeem and also visit the PCRWR head office here regarding the proposed institute.
Talking to The News here, PCRWR Chairman Dr. Muhammad Aslam Tahir confirmed that South Koreans had agreed to one of the two projects, they had proposed, billing this development a major breakthrough in water sector.
“In over 6 decades, we have not been able to set up an institute, which should offer three-year diploma in water and waste water and today our civil engineers tend to work with water supply projects, but they lack even basic know-how about their job and the situation in other Muslim countries is also not much different from us,” he said.
He said that a set policy in the West was that extensive courses were offered and utmost importance was given to water-related knowledge. Dr. Tahir noted an improved water quality was key to boosting average age in the advanced countries and good results could be achieved in Pakistan as well by giving due attention to this important sector.
Replying to a question, he said that poor drinking quality was mainly responsible for low average in Pakistan and pointed out one of the basic problems was with the water supply schemes, as most of these were neither properly planned nor constructed.