KARACHI: More than 21.6 million people in Pakistan lack access to clean water, according to data collected through the UN’s Joint Monitoring Program, and released by the charity WaterAid.
The report “Water Gap The State of the World’s Water 2018” was released on Wednesday, in connection with World Water Day.
WaterAid’s report said that while 88.5 percent people have access to clean water close to home, there was a big gap between rich and poor — 79.2 percent of the poorest people had clean water compared with 98 percent of the country’s richest.
It was found that Sindh province had the worst water conditions with about 80 percent of supply to the province found unfit for human consumption.
In 2016 the Supreme Court set up a commission to explore water quality supply in the province.
“Only 85 water samples out of 336 collected from several districts for detailed physicochemical and microbiological parameters were fit for human consumption while 251 were found unsafe,” the commission said in a report submitted to the apex court in March 2017.
The Chief Secretary of Sindh in his statement before the judicial commission, submitted to the court in March 2017, admitted that the provincial administration of Sindh was responsible for providing basic facilities to all citizens.
The secretary had also submitted a list of 22 water and sanitation projects worth billions of rupees that were undertaken by different government and private partners across the Sindh province.
“The Chief Minister of Sindh is giving top priority to the water issue under the Sindh drinking water policy 2017,” Rasheed Channa, spokesman for Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh, told Arab News on Thursday.
He added that the chief minister believed the federal government was not properly funding water reservoir projects in the province.
“The issue will be raised again in the meeting of Council of Common Interest, a constitutional body which resolves disputes between the federation and the provinces,” Channa said.
Nadeem Ahmed, manager policy at WaterAid Pakistan, told Arab News that the government should take steps to ensure water treatment plants at every level.
“Around 90 percent water is not treated in Pakistan, and Sindh being the tail-end user, has become most vulnerable,” he said, adding: “One gallon of untreated water contaminates eight gallons of clean water.”
WaterAid says that every year around 289,000 children under five die of diarrhea directly linked to dirty water, inadequate toilet facilities and poor hygiene.
“Diarrhea, skin conditions and (many types of) infections, can all be linked to dirty water, alongside poor sanitation and poor hygiene. One in four newborn deaths are due to infections,” the organization says in its report.
Shahab Usto, the lawyer who filed the Supreme Court petition, told Arab News that around 450 million gallons per day of untreated water is being released in the sea. Around 90 percent water in Karachi is being supplied untreated and the situation is not different in other parts of Sindh province”, he added.
“If we will fail to provide safe drinking water to the people of Sindh, the province will become a colony of sick people in next 10 years”, Usto warned.
Pakistan battles to bring clean water to Sindh province
Pakistan battles to bring clean water to Sindh province
Pakistan and Indonesia closing in on jets and drones defense deal — officials
- Interest in the Pakistani military’s weapons development program has surged since its jets were deployed in a four-day conflict with India last year
- The JF-17s have been at the center of that growing attention, figuring in a deal with Azerbaijan and a $4 billion weapons pact with Libyan National Army
ISLAMABAD/JAKARTA: Indonesia’s defense minister met Pakistan’s air force chief in Islamabad to discuss a potential deal that includes the sale of combat jets and killer drones to Jakarta, three security officials with knowledge of the meeting on Monday said.
The talks come as Pakistan’s defense industry moves forward with a series of defense procurement negotiations, including deals with Libya’s National Army and Sudan’s army, and looks to establish itself as a sizable regional player.
Indonesia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the meeting between Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.
“The meeting focused on discussing general defense cooperation relations, including strategic dialogue, strengthening communication between defense institutions, and opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields in the long term,” defense ministry spokesperson Brig. General Rico Ricardo Sirait told Reuters, adding the talks had not yet led to concrete decisions.
One source said the talks revolved around the sale of JF-17 jets, a multi-role combat aircraft jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and killer drones designed for surveillance and striking targets. The other two sources said the talks were in an advanced stage and involved more than 40 JF-17 jets. One of them said Indonesia was also interested in Pakistan’s Shahpar drones.
The sources did not share any discussions about delivery timelines and the number of years a proposed deal would span.
The Pakistani military’s public relations wing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
INDONESIA REPLACING AGEING AIR FORCE FLEET
One additional security source with knowledge of military procurement talks said Pakistan was discussing the sale of JF-17 Thunder jets, air defense systems, training for junior, mid-level, and senior Indonesian air force officials, and engineering staff.
“The Indonesia deal is in the pipeline,” retired Air Marshal Asim Suleiman, who remains briefed on air force deals, told Reuters, adding that the number of JF-17 jets involved was close to 40.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto was in Pakistan last month for a two-day visit for talks on improving bilateral ties, including defense.
Indonesia has put in a slew of orders for jets in the past few years, including 42 French Rafale jets worth $8.1 billion in 2022 and 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkiye last year to strengthen its air force and replace its aging air force fleet.
Jakarta has also considered buying China’s J-10 fighter jets and is in talks to purchase US-made F-15EX jets.
PAKISTAN’S RISING DEFENCE INDUSTRY
Interest in the Pakistani military’s weapons development program has surged since its jets were deployed in a short conflict with India last year.
The JF-17s have been at the center of that growing attention, figuring in a deal with Azerbaijan and the $4 billion weapons pact with the Libyan National Army. Pakistan is also eyeing a defense pact with Bangladesh that could include the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve with Dhaka.
Reuters has also reported that Islamabad was in talks with Riyadh for a defense deal that could be worth between $2 billion and $4 billion and involves the conversion of Saudi loans into military supplies.
