Daily Times

With rapid urbanization and growing awareness of consumers, the demand for clean drinking water has ballooned over the past few years in the country.

To meet the increasing demand of potable water, PML-N government installed multiple filtration units across the rural and urban areas of Lahore and between 2013 to December 2018, the Punjab government released subsidies to all local WASA bodies for not increasing water supply and sanitation charges and some other relief related to operational cost. In the same period, the agencies also requested the PML-N government many a time to allow them increase tariff but they were not allowed to do so. The PTI government stopped all sorts of subsidies to WASA bodies, including Rs180 million monthly subsidy to WASA Lahore.

As Shahbaz Sharif is now facing charges of clean water project scam for being allegedly involve in squandering of funds, a number of filtration units in several areas of Lahore are shut down due to non-payment of electricity bills.

Citizens, who are affected by this, are angry at opportunist private companies that have raised water prices. On the other hand, they are also criticizing the government and asking that if the new administration is honest, unlike the previous ‘corrupt’ one, what is the reason behind the flaws and failure of this clean water supply project? `

Citizens of Lahore are urging concerned authority to ensure regular monitoring of water filtration plants of the city.

Dysfunctional water filtration plants have deprived the residents of the facility of clean drinking water.

Consequently, consumers are now counting on private suppliers of filtered bottled water to cope with burgeoning needs of the people.

Unfortunately, local water purification companies such as Gourmet and Doce have started looting people with both hands by increasing the price of purified water.

Access to water and sanitation are recognized by the United Nations as human rights, reflecting the fundamental nature of these basics in every person’s life. Lack of access to safe, sufficient and affordable water, sanitation and hygiene facilities has a devastating effect on the health, dignity and prosperity of billions of people, and has significant consequences for the realization of other human rights.

Notably, access to potable water is a basic right implied in the Constitution of Pakistan. The Article 9 says, “No person shall be deprived of life or liberty, save in accordance with the law.”

Legal experts say the article guarantees the right to life which includes provision of basic amenities such as water, food, healthcare and education. This suggests that every Pakistani has the right to get uninterrupted access to basic amenities, including water.