Rao Dilshad Hussain

With the induction of 69 new tube wells the number of tube wells across Lahore has risen to 450. As a result the water supply has improved and the lurking crisis of water shortage is over. Last few summers were tough as the government had to face demonstrations of people and even riots due to shortage of clean water and electricity. This year half of the problem is at least solved. New tube wells are pumping water around the clock.

In the Walled City people could be seen standing in long queues for hours to fetch water. Often quarrels broke out when people brought too many buckets with them or tried to bypass the queue to get water. The situation was getting worse. There were frequent eruptions of riots at several places in the city.

The Punjab government tasked Frontier Works Organisation to replace tube wells hoping for quick results. The decision to install new tube wells was taken in August 2008. The agony of water starved people and the enthusiasm of the new setup at Punjab required some drastic measures to overcome the looming crisis and FWO took the responsibility to change the scenario. Timely completion and quality work was the yardstick for this project.

It was a challenge both for Punjab government and FWO as some quarters were sceptical that the later being new in tube well installation may face difficulties however the positive experience of Punjab government for the Lahore Roads Project became the determining factor for the go ahead. The work started in October 2008 with a four cubic feet per second (CFS) capacity tube well at Kashmiri Gate and completed in 2010 with the installation of the 69th tube well in Tibbi Thana area that marked the completion of the plan of Rs432 million in about a year with a saving of 27 million of government funds. All the sites have been handed over to WASA however FWO is responsible for one-year maintenance as per contract.

A tube well is more like a glacier whose nine parts out of ten are submerged and for a depth of many hundred feet the quality of equipment and skilled workmanship becomes important. Shahbaz’s government that had politically benefited from the developmental work executed during its previous tenure of late 90’s had to fulfil the promise as well as expectations for the quality development of Lahore. That was the reason that the system of 3rd party consultant was incorporated and NESPAK was brought in as consultants for the designing, inspections and validations of the drinking water project.

The foremost thing in the current project was to get the pure water from the lower water table at a depth of an average 700 feet below. The average water table in Lahore is about a hundred feet below ground however tube wells were previously sunk at a depth of 550 feet. Lowering of the water table and the risk of any contamination in future was the determining factor for it.

FWO has completed and handed over 69 tubewells to the WASA. The tube wells are at Maskeen Pura, Fateh Garh, Mori Gate, Taxali Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Karim Park Goal Ground, 16-B block, Mushtaq Colony Kotli Pir Abdurehman, 5 C-2, RehmanPura, Kawan Kot WASA colony, C Bloc Faisal Town, Akram Park, Hamad Park, Hamad Colony, Piran Wali, Nabi Baksh Park, Moon Market, Qadri Park, Zubair Park, Firdous Colony, F & V Market, Umar Park, Shadman Nala, Kot Khawaj Saeed, Farid Kot House, Mental Hospital, Chanal Bloc A.I.T, Usman Park, Jamshed Park, LDA Quarter Walton, AL-Faisal Town, Ghaziabad Bus Stop, Islam Pura, 1 C-1 Township, Bogi Wall, Gujar Pura, Adda Crown Bus, G Bloc Sabzazar, Akbari Gate, H-2 Bloc Sabzazar Zar, Imam Ghazali, DO (North Office), Junior Model School, Gawala Colony, Apwa College, C Bloc Sabzazar, General Hospital, Waris Road, Sultani Park Sultan Pura, Patila House, Nishtar Bloc, Paisa Akhbar, Lavion Road, Faisal Park, Abikj Park, Nappier Road, FCC college, Polly Technical College, Chohan Road, Gulshsne Hayat, A Block Muslim Town, Munshi Hospital, Taika Mehmood shah, G Bloc Johar Town, Raj Garh Office, Tehsil Garden and Anad Road.

The absence of a master plan affected all types of developmental work including tube wells. Setting up of a tube well requires lot of coordination with different departments and local resident committees however due to lack of coordination, at earmarked locations after taking in hand preliminary working, FWO was told to move to the new alternate site which wasted lot of time and resources.

The tube wells are under the responsibility of FWO for their technical maintenance up to one year and an efficient and responsive round the clock maintenance system has been chalked out. It is however the tube well operator under whose charge the whole system is placed. The operators are generally employees who are illiterate with no training of operating the equipment. It was easy before due to the old mechanical technology. But enhanced electronic systems have necessitated the need and understanding of vocational training.

Some of the tube well sites could not be handed over to FWO even after a delay of 10 months. However despite of all odds, the dedicated team of FWO has delivered and completed this project of 69 tube wells in a scheduled time of 14 months.

“We have done our best however the life of these machines can be greatly enhanced with proper maintenance and adherence of the Standard Operative Procedure (SOP)” Engineer Azam Project Manager, Tube well Project.

The electricity fluctuations and breakdowns require a continuous presence of the operators. Fiddling with panels and disturbing the electronic settings creates more loss than controlling the situation. Late coming and absence of the operators from duty is another common problem. There have been incidents where the operator was absent even during fire.

Unsatisfactory electrical support system has led to many problems. Installation of substandard transformers, stealing of electric wires and replacement with substandard ones are the recurring problems.

Equipment worth millions of rupees needs trained operators. A basic course in tube well operation and some hands-on training should be a must for the operators. Yearly inspections and performance checks system should be incorporated in its earnest. The average life of tube wells is 10 to 15 years, which can be conveniently extended to 20 years by mere efficient maintenance.

FWO has issued guidelines to WASA for the maintenance of tube wells installed in different parts of the city: The tube well operator is to be employed on regular basis with proper instruction and training. The minimum qualification of the tube well operator should be matriculation. Specialized practical training essentially has to be imparted by WASA to the operators for operation and maintenance of tube wells.

The load shedding has almost become a regular feature, frequent closure and re-operation of tube well with erratic energy supply can result in burning of motor, and MCU. Therefore a watchful operator can save the machinery from damage and as well as utilize the available electric supply hours to the maximum.

It has been observed that at times the WAPDA transformer is giving under or over-voltage due to which the tube well is automatically tripped off. Instead of removing the fault of transformer by sending a complaint to WAPDA, the WASA sub division electrician change the setting of control panel at his own to non-permissible limit and as a result control panel has burnt several times.

Opening of sluice valve of main lines before operating a tube well is very important. It has been found that at time the sluice valve of main line is closed by WASA for repair work in general area. Later the tube wells are started without opening of the valves that result in bursting of mainlines due to back thrust.

Tube well panels have to be kept clean. This will enhance the electrical component. Every month all bolts should be tightened and cleaned regularly. To keep the tube well room cool during summers all windows and ventilators should be kept open.

Humanity cannot survive without drinking water. Interestingly, the masses have to drink arsenic mixed water here in Pakistan yet having the water purification system in their homes. It is happening because of the illegal, replicas and non-food graded are being sold out water filters in the markets. But this unfortunate thing that Lahore’s city district government and WASA’s officials did not own this issue. Both of them refused to take the liability of illegal selling and manufacturing water filters in the sanitary stores across the country.

Sunday plus conduct an exclusive survey to probe the facts regarding the making process, quality and illegal thriving business of the water filters that create the blessings in disguise situation among the citizen. The two genres of filters local made and important are accessible for the public. The local manufacturers produce the water filter’s housings and other plastic material with the help of the recycling plastics as the people salt waste in the terms of X-rays, used syringes, tyre rubber, plastic bottles, and sewerage pipes as well.

More than 70% local producers are not using proper plastic’s row material in the water filters making process because public is not on their priority they just focus on the business. A number of makers thrive this illegal business but without any hesitation and they use the USA‘s stamps to show the imported filters, they use to play with play’s lives while there is no check on this kind of traditions. In fact, these filters cannot have the ability to purify and sterilize the water properly but spreading the most dangerous and terrible diseases skin cancer, hepatitis, lever failure, and gastro etc. this unfortunate thing that this is just occurring in the third world.

According to the survey imported obtainable filters are better working than the local ones and these are being made with the help of 100% food grade and pure plastic raw material, which at least cannot create the diseases for the consumers. This is not happening in the other developing nations because of strong and authentic checking system.

A complete water filter is comprised upon the three housings or parts, first one is filled with the polypropylene fibre cartridge. That eliminates the physical particles such as dust, rust, and sand particles. This cartridge should be 100% pure Polypropylene fibre then this will not be functioning well. But here the native manufacturers frequently used rough Polypropylene fibre that cannot remove the physical particles because nobody can dare to vet the factories. This is the water filtration process.

Second one is granular activated carbon that observes the water’s bad taste, colour and bad smell and with the end of this process existing chemicals to be removed. While Lahore, Karachi and Gujranwala’s manufacturers use coil to replace the activate carbon. This is the most terrible for consumers and due to which water is to be further dirty despite of purification. This process purifies the water.

Water filter’s third housing is persisted at the UV ultra violet lamp that disinfects the bacteria, germs and viruses and so with the completion of this sterilization function one can drink the mineral water. Three sorts of the ultra violet lamps sell in the market. Philips lamp works properly to get rid of from active bacteria and virus. So always quality ultra violet lamp should be used other wise bacteria and virus would never be finished from the water.

Right now most of the Pakistani drink polluted and arsenic water that effect the human body and bones have been weaken gradually. Because of this sort of drinking water the working capacity of the youth is also dwindling. No one including the government is thinking the serious matter.

Nobody can tell about existing manufacturers how many filter makers are here are? But according to the survey conducted by Sunday plus more than 90% companies have indulged to make the water purification filter but nobody wants to register the company. That is the responsibility of the health department, environment protection department and city district government to vet the illegal filter manufacturers almost once in a month.

Government should be banned those filter manufacturers who use recycle plastic raw material to produce water filters. Present given licenses should be cancelled and the licensing process should resume. So far nobody including the City district governments did raid to prevent the illegal vendors anywhere across the country.

Sunday plus talked to Lahore’s DO Environment Tariq Zaman about the water filters manufacturing.

He refused to own the matter and said, “this is not the responsibility of our department to vet the illegal makers. He slams the illegal water filter’s manufacturing. My department can just provide the advisory mechanism to WASA about the quality control.”

“When the new tube wells are required to WASA and during evolving the new projects environment department tests the water quality and give the maximum support to WASA, He was of the view”

Sunday plus talked to Deputy Managing Director WASA Iqtadar Shah. He as usual declined to acknowledge the reality about the selling water filters. He even did not own the most sensitive issue and argued “this matter is not the WASA ’s concerning because WASA is supplying the pure and sterilized water to the masses. There is no need to install the water filters to the public.”

On a query that who is the responsible lethargic and sluggish selling of the water filters? “I always discourage to install the domestic filtration because my department is already giving the water with minerals. Water is polluted when the masses construct their homes and they do not install the quality sanitation system. Then an account of lower quality material and electric motor pumps water is polluted. So water filters installation is entirely useless practice, he was of the view.”