Punjab planning to set up water, sewerage regulatory authority.

Byline: Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI -- The Punjab government is planning to establish water and sewerage regulatory authority to regulate water and sewage sector in five big cities of the province.

Sources told Dawn that the provincial government would table a bill in Punjab Assembly in next session to convert water and sanitation agencies (Wasa) Water and Sanitation Authorities in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan and would be regulated by the regulatory authority.

They said that under the new law, the provincial government would be empowered to establish new authorities within Punjab as it may deem appropriate.

The general governance of the authorities has been conferred upon a board which includes members from various departments of the provincial government.

The chief executive officer of an authority shall be the director general of the authority which shall be appointed by the provincial government.

The sources said the basic aim of the new law was to resolve the financial issues of Wasa and end the burden on the housing and physical planning department to manage the issues.

They said at present the new law was with law department and it would be presented in provincial assembly soon.

A senior official of Rawalpindi Wasa told Dawn that there was a need to establish the regulatory authority as the government had failed to increase the water tariff during the last 10...