Islamabad: Council of Common Interests (CCI) has approved Pakistan’s first National Water Policy (NWP), according to a news report. NWP was approved with the consensus of all the provinces. The 37th meeting of CCI signed a charter imposing a water emergency. The charter aims to increase efforts to fight the impending water crisis.
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and the chief ministers of all the four provinces also attended the meeting.
NWP also included pricing of water at the delivery end, while water supply would be free of cost. A gradual increase has also been anticipated and planned for budgetary allocations on water resources from existing 3.7 percent to 10 percent in 2019 to 20 percent by the year 2030.
A new groundwater authority will also be established under NWP to guarantee transparency and sustainability. A new modern monitoring system will also be introduced.
NWP has been pending since 2005 and it remained unapproved and unimplemented until its approval by CCI on Tuesday.
NWP will be executed by the National Water Council to be headed by the Prime Minister. Apart from the PM, National Water Council will constitute of the four provincial chief ministers and ministers for power, finance, planning development and water resources.
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