Asif Mehmood Awan
Peshawar: Faculty and students of University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Abbottabad campus have appreciated the construction of Chona Water Treatment Plant. The project is being constructed under the management of the Local Government Department. The project will play a significant role in preventing depletion of groundwater reserves in Abbottabad. Stressing the importance of water conservation, the faculty members urged the public to avoid water wastage and prefer surface water sources to preserve groundwater reserves for future generations. As part of this awareness campaign, UET faculty and students visited the under-construction Chona Water Treatment Plant. The information tour was organized in collaboration with Water and Sanitation Services Company (WSSC) Abbottabad and UET’s media department. During the briefing, Chief Engineer Mohsin Shahzad of the City Implementation Unit of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) provided important information about the project. He said that the plant will be the first of its kind in Abbottabad, which will provide clean drinking water to 36,000 households. Engineer Shahzad said, “This project is being developed by KPCIP under LGE&RDD, for which the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) are providing financial assistance. The project has been designed keeping in mind the increasing impacts of climate change so that local communities and the natural environment are protected for decades to come. Responding to questions from the students, Engineer Shahzad said that the plant will purify 6.85 million gallons (300 liters per second) of water per day, which will be sourced from nearby mountain springs. This water will be transported through a 17-km pipeline to a treatment plant built on a high hill at Chuna, from where it will be distributed throughout the city. The plant is designed to meet Abbottabad’s water needs until 2047. Engineer Shahzad added, “This plant will play a significant role in conserving groundwater reserves and will help the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on clean water and sanitation.” He added that more than 6.25 million local and international tourists visited Abbottabad and its surrounding tourist destinations between May 1 and July 31, 2024, putting severe pressure on the city’s water supply and groundwater reserves. To address these challenges, the project has incorporated advanced technologies such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and water meters to ensure effective water management and transparency. UET faculty and students were briefed on the technical and engineering aspects of the project. They appreciated this innovative strategy for water conservation and emphasized that the integration of modern technology, such as SCADA system, not only ensures effective management of resources but also sets an example for sustainable urban development in the region. Prof. Dr. Shabbir Qureshi, Head, Department of Architecture, UET Abbottabad, praised the project and said, “The provision of clean water is a fundamental right, which is essential for the establishment of a healthy society. Availability of clean water is also indispensable for the promotion of tourism and the long-term economic development of the region.” Dr. Qureshi added that such infrastructure projects not only meet the immediate water needs but also play a significant role in environmental sustainability and the well-being of future generations. Such projects reflect a broader commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection, which are in line with global best practices in urban planning and resource management.
