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QUETTA, Jun 02 (APP): Balochistan Minister for Public Health Engineering (PHE) Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran expressed his concern over the rising electricity rates and said that all tube wells of WASA should be converted to solar system in any case for supplying water to people in the area.
He said this while chairing an important meeting of Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) Quetta Board of Directors.
Secretary PHE Imran Gachki, Additional Secretary Planning and Development Waqar-uz-Zaman Kayani, Station Commander Quetta Brigade Kamran Sarwar, Director WASA Naseebullah, Additional Deputy Commissioner Quetta, Administrator Metropolitan Corporation and other high officials attended the meeting.
The budget of WASA Quetta for the financial year 2025-26 was presented in the meeting, while the ex-post facto approval of the adhoc relief allowance 2024 (25% and 20%) was given.
A 15 percent increase in pension of retired employees and appointment of police personnel on deputation in WASA were also approved in the meeting.
Minister PHE Sardar Khetran directed that water supply to Quetta city from Mangi Dam should be fully restored by December 2025.
He said that we are not giving the amount of water, we should give to the public and we are not getting the amount of revenue as we should get.
Expressing concern over the rising electricity rates, he said that all tube wells of WASA should be converted to solar system in any case.
The provincial minister said that development projects are being converted to solar across the world and steps would be taken in Balochistan on the same lines.
The meeting also decided to immediately start working on outsourcing and solarization of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
Permission was also granted for auctioning of WASA’s dead stock and unusable items.
While directing to improve the department’s performance, the minister said that “months’ work should be completed in days so that revenue increases and better services are provided to the public.
It was agreed in the meeting that if adhoc relief is being given to employees of other boards, then WASA employees would also be given this facility.
Sardar Khatiran criticized the tanker mafia and said that the public buys water from tankers for Rs 3,000 but avoids paying government dues.
The MD WASA briefed the meeting that in some areas of the city, the public is not even aware of water bills.
The minister further said that strict action has been issued against absent employees of the department.
In the meeting, Secretary PHE Imran Gachki suggested that WASA should launch water bottles under public-private partnership, because the department has quality water treatment plants.