Punjab CM rejects tax on bottled drinking water

Key Takeaways

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif rejected a proposal to impose charges on bottled drinking water.
864 water filtration plants have commenced in various districts of Punjab, with 1,913 more set to begin shortly.
The CM directed authorities to complete 1,886 water filtration plant projects and establish 670 bottled drinking water plants.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has rejected an initial proposal to impose charges on bottled drinking water, reaffirming that access to safe drinking water should remain a public service.

The construction of 864 water filtration plants has commenced across various districts of Punjab, while work on an additional 1,913 filtration plants is set to begin shortly. This initiative aims to ensure widespread availability of clean drinking water in the province.

Under a pilot project, 10,000 bottles of 19-litre clean drinking water are being supplied free of charge in four districts. The chief minister chaired a special meeting on the Punjab Saaf Pani Authority and reviewed progress on this ongoing initiative.

She directed that daily progress reports be submitted for the four participating districts and instructed deputy commissioners to obtain public feedback on the initiative, assessing daily demand for clean drinking water in their respective areas.

The meeting also reviewed proposals to deliver clean drinking water to households through water tankers. The chief minister directed authorities to complete 1,886 water filtration plant projects across Punjab at the earliest and establish 670 bottled drinking water plants throughout the province.

Of these, 335 plants will each have a production capacity of 5,000 litres, while the remaining 335 plants will produce 10,000 litres of clean drinking water. A proposal was also presented to establish 4,020 distribution points for the supply of bottled drinking water.

The meeting was informed that 860 bottles of clean drinking water are being supplied daily in Khushab, 780 bottles in Rahim Yar Khan, 1,500 bottles to remote areas of Koh-e-Suleman in Dera Ghazi Khan, and 2,780 bottles in remote areas of Bahawalpur.

The chief minister directed that the number of trucks transporting clean drinking water be increased to ensure uninterrupted supply. She emphasized providing clean drinking water at people’s doorsteps as her commitment, stating every citizen of Punjab has the right to safe drinking water.

‘Wherever clean drinking water is not available, bottled water will be delivered under all circumstances,’ she said. The chief minister observed that it was deeply painful to see people, particularly women and the elderly, carrying water on their heads.