The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Public Health Engineering, Fazal Shakoor Khan, on Wednesday chaired a review meeting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Investment and Institutional Support Project (KP-RIISP) being implemented in the merged tribal districts with the support of the World Bank.
Member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Abdul Ghani Afridi attended the meeting, while Project Director Adnan Ahmad briefed the Provincial Minister and other participants in detail about various components of the project, progress made so far and the future course of action.
The meeting held a detailed discussion on the ongoing and proposed KP-RIISP interventions in Bara, district Khyber. The Project Director briefed the participants on progress regarding water supply and sanitation schemes aimed at improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities for the local population.
A detailed briefing was also given on the rehabilitation, improvement and restoration of various water supply schemes in Bara. The meeting was further apprised of plans for the solarization of water supply systems to reduce dependence on conventional electricity and minimize operational costs.
It was informed that special focus was being given under the project to the provision of basic public facilities and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure in the merged tribal districts, enabling local communities to have improved access to clean drinking water and better sanitation services.
Provincial Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan directed the concerned authorities to ensure the timely completion of water supply and sanitation projects in Bara and other merged districts.
He emphasized that the pace of work should be accelerated in accordance with the needs and priorities of the local population.
He said that provision of clean drinking water is among the KP government’s top priorities, and all possible measures should be taken to ensure sustainable and uninterrupted water supply to the people.
He further said that solarization of water supply systems is an important initiative for ensuring the sustainability of water supply schemes and reducing electricity costs. He said the initiative would not only help strengthen water supply systems but also contribute to saving public resources in the long run.
He issued directives to the relevant authorities to ensure transparency, quality standards and timely completion of all projects being implemented with the support of the World Bank.