Over 80,000 people to benefit from restoration of clean drinking water in Chitral: UNICEF

ISLAMABAD (APP) - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Pakistan, Angela Kearney and Deputy Commissioner Osama Ahmed Warraich on Friday inaugurated the rehabilitation of Drinking Water Scheme in Chitral.

They said that as the largest and the only source of safe drinking water in the area, the project is expected to benefit over 80,000 people in Chitral Town and the neighboring villages.

With an estimated cost of US $223,000, rehabilitation of the Angarghoon water supply scheme was funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) United Kingdom.

Deputy Commissioner of Chitral Osama Ahmed Warraich said that the district government was grateful to UNICEF and DFID for their generous support in restoring the water scheme, which is the main source of safe drinking water for the people of Chitral.

He added that people in the region had suffered due to recurrent natural calamities and the district administration was doing its utmost to rehabilitate the affected population.

Support from the humanitarian community is this context is invaluable and most welcome, he said.

UNICEF has so far restored 20 drinking water schemes in Chitral, and another 21 in Shangla district, since a series of calamities, including floods and an earthquake, struck the region in 2015.

"Recurrent natural disasters in Chitral during the last few months have made it evident that climate change is having an adverse effect on this region," said UNICEF Representative Angela Kearney.

"Lack of safe drinking water in the aftermath of a disaster could lead to the spread of waterborne diseases especially among children and that is a situation we wish to prevent," she added.

She also thanked the provincial government, the district administration and the DFID for their support in ensuring the project was success.