FAZAL HAQ
Mardan. The Board of Directors (BoD) of Water and Sanitation Services Company Mardan (WSSCM) has approved a 20 years Master plan for twenty Union councils of Mardan.
The 71th BoD meeting held under the chairmanship of Chairman BoD Engineer Adil Nawaz while members of BoD Javed Hussain, Haroon Rashid, Mubina Raziuddin, CEO Shahid Khan, RMO Zeeshan Arif, General Manager Muhammad Khalil Akbar, Chief Engineer CIU Mardan Engineer Imran Zaman, Chief Financial Officer Naveed Akhtar and others were present in the meeting. Chief Engineer CIU Imran Zaman briefed the forum that a master plan has been prepared to cater the issues of sewerage & drainage system, solid waste management and water supply sectors in Mardan for the next 20 years. Union Councils included Bagh Irum, Baghdada, Bari Cham, Bicket Gunj, Bejli ghar, Dagai, Guli Bagh, Hoti, Kaskoroona, Mardan Khas, Muslimabad, Parhoti, Rorya, Sikandari, Chak Hoti, Mardan Rural, Mayar, MuhabatAbad, Gujar Garhi and Cantt Area. Meanwhile, the services of clean water supply, solid waste management and waste water management has been provided by WSSCM in 14 urban UC’s, by Cantonment Board in Cant Area, by MDA in Sheikh Maltoon Town and through TMA Mardan in rural areas. Currently the population of Mardan city is four lakh & ten thousands (0.41 million), while the suburbs have a population of 5 lakh 40 thousand (0.54) while in 2045 the city population will be increased around one lakh and the suburbs around one lakh seventy thousand. The forum was briefed that 4.36 million gallons of water is supply on daily basis through 84 tube wells in Mardan, out of which 3.96 million gallons is provided by WSSCM in its jurisdiction. It has been proposed to construct 71 more tube wells by 2045 within 20 Union councils of Mardan. Similarly, safe drinking water is supplied to the citizens through 400 kms, distribution network at their doorstep, out of which 156 km pipeline will be replaced while 312 km of pipeline will be placed by 2045. The Master Plan also suggests complete ban on private bores. The participants were briefed that an estimated Rs 4.53 billion cost will be incurred upon supply of clean drinking water to the citizens through ground water, upgradation and construction of new tube wells.
The meeting was informed about sewerage system that 91,492 cubic meters of waste water is currently coming into drains and canals, which will be increased by 43,000 cubic meters by 2045.
The proposed 20 union councils of Mardan have been divided into two zones for the waste water treatment. Zone A comprised of six union councils with 15.5 km area, while Zone B will be comprised of 13 union councils with 42.82 km area. Three full and three partial union councils of Mardan city will be covered and served under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Citizens Improvement Project at a cost of 8.5 billion. The master plan proposed two more sewerage treatment plants by 2045 with a cost of 22.49 billion rupees. Similarly, the Integrated Solid Waste Management Master Plan has also been approved to reduce the garbage volume under the Solid Waste Management Plan. Meanwhile 160 tons of garbage is collected and disposed from the city’s fourteen union councils and inclusion of six union councils will have an additional increase by 75 tons.
An Integrated Solid Waste Management project in Mardan funded by Asian Development Bank will be started soon. According to the plan 114 tons of garbage will be converted into organic compost and biogas while other waste will be recycled and only 2 percent waste will be dumped into the landfill. The ADB proposed 3.8 billion rupees for integrated solid waste management facility.
Chairman BoD Engineer Adil Nawaz stated that better planning for the city will reduce the problems of the citizens. He said the approval of master plan for twenty years will be helpful in development of the city. In the light of the provincial government orders, all resources are being used to provide the best services to the citizens.
