EU, AFD delegation reviews progress on WASA’s mega water treatment project

FAISALABAD, Jul 01 (APP): A joint delegation of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Union (EU) has expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of work on the Surface Water Treatment Plant project in the city.
They voiced confidence that the flagship scheme would be completed on schedule to provide safe drinking water to millions of residents.
The delegation visited the Water & Sanitation Agency (WASA) Headquarters on Wednesday and held a meeting with WASA Managing Director Saqib Raza, who briefed the visitors about the organization’s operational performance, ongoing development projects and future plans to improve urban water supply and sanitation services.
During the visit, the foreign delegation inspected the project site of Surface Water Treatment Plant and reviewed the quality of construction work and the progress achieved so far.
The members also visited the Phase-II transmission line project to assess implementation of the critical infrastructure being developed under the mega water supply scheme.
The delegation said the construction quality and overall progress of the project being executed by WASA Faisalabad were satisfactory.
They expressed optimism that the utility would complete the project within stipulated period, enabling citizens of Faisalabad to benefit from a reliable supply of safe and clean drinking water.
The visiting officials termed the project a significant step towards improving urban water infrastructure and enhancing public health through the provision of treated surface water.
During the meeting, the European Union representative also held detailed discussions on institutional capacity building of WASA.
The discussions focused on strengthening governance, operational efficiency and long-term sustainability of the utility.
WASA Managing Director Saqib Raza said that modernization of governance, revenue management, financial systems and administrative operations through advanced technology had become an urgent requirement for improving service delivery.
He also stressed the need for enhancing the professional capacity of WASA officers through technical support and specialized training.
He said the European Union could play a vital role in strengthening WASA’s institutional capacity by supporting reforms, technological advancement and human resource development.
The EU representatives responded positively to the proposal and reaffirmed their interest in supporting WASA initiatives for improving operational capabilities of the agency and public service delivery, WASA spokesman said.