Latest news with #AmirAziz
Business Recorder
31-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
‘WASA Faisalabad completes arrangements for rainy season'
FAISALABAD: Provincial Parliamentary Secretary for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Barrister Sultan Bajwa has said that WASA Faisalabad has completed all arrangements to provide quality drainage services during the rainy season, all machinery is functional while alternative power arrangements have also been made at the disposal station. Talking to media representatives at WASA Head Office along with Managing Director WASA Amir Aziz, he said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is focused on providing the best drainage services across Punjab including Faisalabad and under a comprehensive and effective plan, WASA Faisalabad has made a lot of improvements in terms of drainage and water supply service delivery during the last one year and currently WASA Faisalabad is at the top in terms of performance among all WASAs across Punjab. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Japan to help install smart water meters
The government of Japan has approved a grant of $3.5 million under its Economic and Social Development Programme for the installation of smart water meters and related equipment for the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). The agreement was signed in Islamabad between the Embassy of Japan and Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division. WASA Managing Director Amir Aziz shared these developments while speaking with media representatives. He said the project was part of broader efforts to support WASA's shift from a flat-rate to a metered billing system. The new system will include the installation of 8,400 smart water meters and aims to enhance the accuracy of billing, improve revenue collection, and increase efficiency in water distribution. Aziz also noted that the Japanese development agency JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) has completed a project titled "Construction of Distribution Center and Rehabilitation of the Old Jhal Khanuana Water Treatment Plant" at a cost of Rs7,250 million. Discussing other foreign-funded projects, the MD said WASA Faisalabad has revived three long-pending international initiatives. These include the French-funded "Extension of Water Resources for Faisalabad City – Phase II" project, valued at Rs14,636.928 million. According to Aziz, work on this project commenced with the signing of the contract on August 8, 2024, followed by site mobilization on October 8, 2024. The tender for transmission was opened on April 7, 2025, and technical evaluation is currently underway. Once completed, it is expected to serve around six million residents. Aziz also mentioned the Denmark-funded Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phase I) project, worth Rs56,036.79 million, which aims to build a 33 million gallons per day (MGD) treatment facility in Faisalabad. The government of Punjab granted administrative approval on April 16, 2025, and loan agreement formalities with Denmark are in progress. The project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 targets. Regarding another JICA-assisted initiative, "Improvement of Management Capacity of Water Supply Sector in Faisalabad," Aziz stated that the project includes the digital monitoring of three overhead reservoirs and one disposal station. Remote operations have begun and assessments of tube-well equipment have been completed. The project is estimated to serve two million people. He further said the government of Punjab has also approved a new sewerage development package for Faisalabad city worth Rs10,810 million. Chaudhary Rasheed Ahmad, retired chief engineer of the Public Health Department and a water expert, has emphasized the urgent need to implement smart water metering systems in light of the growing depletion of water resources, shortage of potable water, and widespread wastage of drinking water by the public. He stated that smart metering could help prevent unnecessary use of water and contribute to its conservation. He pointed out that in many households, potable piped water is used extensively for non-essential purposes such as washing utensils and vehicles, resulting in significant pressure on groundwater reserves. Rasheed added that WASA Faisalabad currently has over 500,000 registered water consumers, and the installation of only 8,400 smart meters is insufficient to address the scale of the challenge. Member of the Provincial Assembly, Chaudhary Faqir Hussain Dogar, also underlined the issue, noting that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by the Indian government has impacted Pakistan's water availability, exacerbating shortages in water bodies and canal systems.
Express Tribune
21-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Wastewater treatment project approved to boost sustainability
A project approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), under the federal Planning and Development Department, for the construction of the Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant (33 MGD) – Phase I in Faisalabad is expected to have long-term positive impacts on the environment and groundwater sustainability. Officials say the project, to be established at Chak 244-RB in Faisalabad, includes the construction of a wastewater treatment facility, rehabilitation of a Katcha channel, laying of a trunk sewer from the terminal point of Channel 4 to the plant covering 2.6 kilometres, and the development of a 10.5-kilometre force main to discharge treated water into the Gogera Branch Canal. With a total estimated cost of Rs53.66 billion, the project is included in the Annual Development Programme 202425 and is being funded through a loan by the Danish government's Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF). According to WASA Faisalabad Deputy Managing Director Saqib Raza, the Project Management Unit (PMU) was established in March 2022, and 90 acres of state land were transferred to the Housing and Urban Development Department for the project. The selection process for a consultant began in February 2022 and was concluded in March 2022 with the appointment of NIRAS, Denmark, as the official project consultant. WASA Managing Director Amir Aziz said a pre-qualification notice was issued in October 2022, and the process was finalized in December 2022 with two firms being pre-qualified. Tender documents were issued in February 2023, technical bids opened in July 2023, and financial bids were reviewed in November 2023. However, the submitted financial bids were higher than the approved loan ceiling, prompting WASA to negotiate a revised scope with the bidder. The revised plan involved reducing the treatment plant's capacity from 200,000 to 150,000 million gallons per day and shortening the operation and maintenance period from five years to three. WASA submitted a revised PC-1 in July 2024 through the Housing Department to the Planning and Development Board in Lahore. Following rigorous scrutiny, the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) cleared the project on October 2, 2024, and formally approved the revised PC-1 on January 27, 2025. After months of technical planning and negotiation, the final approval by ECNEC has paved the way for launching the project. The loan agreement with the Danish government is expected to be signed next week, operationalising a major environmental upgrade, an official said.
Express Tribune
30-01-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Rs3.25b approved for WASA sewerage system upgrades
JARANWALA: The Punjab Housing Department has approved five major development schemes worth over Rs3.25 billion for WASA Faisalabad, aiming to improve the city's sewerage system and drainage infrastructure. The approved projects include the enhancement of sewage networks in the eastern and western areas, the provision of sewage systems in Niamo-ana and Nethar, and the procurement of advanced drainage machinery. The approval was granted during a meeting of the Departmental Development Sub-Committee (DDSC) of the Housing Department, where Managing Director WASA Amir Aziz presented the development plan. Senior officials, including Deputy Managing Director Engineering Saqib Raza, Director P&D Hafiz Hassan Naseer, Director Construction East Dr Usman Latif, and other key officers, attended the meeting. Among the sanctioned projects, Rs755 million has been allocated for upgrading sewage pumping capacity at disposal stations, Rs800 million for improving the sewage system in eastern and western areas, Rs600 million for purchasing drainage machinery, Rs600 million for sewage network development in Niamo-ana and Rs500 million for a similar project in Nethar. Managing Director WASA Amir Aziz stated that work on these projects will commence soon in accordance with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He emphasised that once completed, the projects will significantly enhance sewage and drainage services for over 500,000 residents in Faisalabad. Deputy Managing Director Engineering Saqib Raza added that following DDSC approval, administrative procedures will be finalised swiftly, paving the way for the implementation of these much-needed infrastructure upgrades.
