Daily Times

Caretaker Minister for Local Government Election and Rural Development Department (LGE&RDD) and Public Health Engineering Department, Engineer Amir Durrani, emphasized that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) is set to revolutionize water and sanitation services delivery in five divisional cities of the province.

He was accompanied by Secretary LGE&RDD Muhammad Dawood Khan. Project Director Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Director Compliance Directorate KPCIP Amir Alam Khan, Director Technical Mian Muhammad Shakeel, and Director Finance Qazi Raees briefed the minister on technical, financial, and social safeguards aspects of the project.

“The rehabilitation and reconstruction of water supply, sewerage, and sanitation systems are align with international standards, bringing significant improvements to the health of our citizens and the environment of our cities,” remarked Minister Amir Durrani during his visit to the KPCIP office in Peshawar on Tuesday.

The project director highlighted key initiatives in Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Abbottabad, and Mingora. He said that KPCIP, funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with every projects designed with worsening climate change, depleting groundwater levels, and increasing health concerns in mind.

“Under the Swat Greater Water Supply Scheme, water from River Swat will be treated and supplied to the residents of Mingora city,” Syed Zafar Ali Shah said. Additionally, streams and springs’ water will be channeled to a treatment plant near Choona in Abbottabad.

“The treated water will be distributed through an extensive network of pipelines, reaching every household,” explained Shah. Furthermore, these cities will benefit from modern sanitation and sewerage systems, safeguarding groundwater and freshwater resources from contamination. Shah highlighted the incorporation of recreational spaces such as parks equipped with open-air gyms, urban forests, benches, car parks, and cycle tracks.