Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Japan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Takashi Kurai on Monday inaugurated a project for the installation of six water filtration plants in District Okara (Punjab), which was completed with the financial support of $82,282 provided by the Government of Japan to Ameer Begum Welfare Trust – a non-governmental organization actively working in the education sector.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by members of the NGO and community members from the vicinity who are beneficiaries of the facilities. The installation of these water filtration plants was made possible with the financial support from the Embassy of Japan under its Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP) Programme.

The GGP Program is an initiative of the Japanese government with the belief that in consideration of the enormity of the challenges being faced by the world today, development assistance should not only be limited to governments, but also be channelled to grassroots levels through civil society organizations. Since it began in 1989, the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan has supported more than 350 projects under the GGP Programme, with a contribution of more than 2.4 billion Japanese Yen.

Before this initiative, the population of Thesil Depalpur was suffering from a shortage of clean water, especially during the summer season.

This had an adverse effect on the community, particularly in terms of health as evidenced by the high prevalence of waterborne diseases in the area. With the provision of safe drinking water, the project is now benefiting 6,755 households (approximately 50,500 individuals) in six villages of Tehsil Depalpur in District Okara.

At the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Kurai emphasized the urgent need to improve access to safe drinking water, particularly in rural areas of the country. He also expressed his sincere hope that this project would contribute to the improvement of living standards, alleviation of poverty and the sustainable growth of the local economy as a whole.