PCRWR to initiate drinking water rehabilitation program
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—In the light of the surveys conducted and analysis carried out by its field teams, constituted by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to analyze and rehabilitate drinking water sources in the quake hit areas of AJK and the NWFP, the PCRWR is on its way to initiate short term and long term water sector development plans in these areas.
These encompass regular monitoring of water resources, rehabilitation of water supply structures and installation of two filtration plants of 48000 liter per day capacity at Muzaffarabad. The teams have recently reported back at the PCRWR headquarter after accomplishment of their work.
The data collected by the ten field teams in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Balakot, Batagram, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad and Bagh shows that drinking water condition in the Abbottabad, Mansehra areas is satisfactory, both qualitatively and quantitatively, while the AJK areas lack on both accounts.
The field teams also rehabilitated the damaged water sources and supply lines besides displaying posters on different municipal water outlets to identify whether the water was safe for human consumption or otherwise, to help check possibilities of outbreak of water borne diseases which were greatly feared as an aftermath of the earthquake. Analysis of water samples were carried out in the mobile laboratories setup in the areas.
The teams also treated some contaminated wells and restored spring outlets in AJK besides distributing over 2000 jerry cans of safe drinking water in the hospitals of Muzaffarabad.
In the meantime PCRWR has also installed a filtration plant capable of providing 1000 liter water per hour at its head office in Islamabad for round the clock free of cost supply to relief organizations to provide safe drinking water to the quake stricken people.