The United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Special Initiatives, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the Pakistani Government’s Clean Drinking Water for All project.

Under the MOU, signed on 29 January 2009, USAID and the Pakistani government will continue to expand access to clean water. USAID’s three-year US$ 17.9 million (€ 13.9 million) Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project supports Pakistan’s Clean Drinking Water for All initiative. The initiative aims to install over 6,000 water filtration plants, to ensure access to clean drinking water in every municipality.

Pakistan has one of the world's highest levels of child deaths caused by unclean water and poor sanitation, with approximately 630 children dying each day from diarrhoea. USAID expects over 31 million Pakistanis will benefit from the project, which is being implemented in 40 districts, eight earthquake-affected areas in the North-West Frontier Province, and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The project works with communities that have access to government-provided water filtration plants to ensure that the plants are properly maintained and sustainable.

Related news:

• Pakistan: on track to meet MDG target for sanitation, draft National Drinking Water Policy on the way, Source South Asia, 08 Dec 2008;
• Pakistan, NWFP: current status of water and sanitation-related MDGs, Source South Asia, 28 Oct 2008;

Web sites:

• Clean Drinking Water for All project;
• Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project;
• Wikipedia: Water supply and sanitation in Pakistan

Source:USAID/Pakistan, 27 Jan 2008

Tags: south asia, water treatment