U.S. Helps Fund Water Pump Replacement Program in Islamabad

The U.S. is helping fund a water pump replacement program in Islamabad to improve water supplies in the Pakistani capital and reduce power consumption.

USAID country director Jonathan Conly and Capital Development Authority Chairman Farkhand Iqbal replaced the first pump yesterday at Fatima Jinna Park as part of a $1.2 million aid project, the CDA said in a statement.

The CDA has 187 tube well pumps in Islamabad. Only 132 are working, the rest being out of order in a city suffering from water shortages. Those still working operate with less than 30 percent efficiency, raising electric bills and failing to provide enough water for residents, the CDA said.

Replacement of the pumps will save about 2 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 4,500 Pakistani households, it said. The AID project follows one in which the agency and Ministry of Water and Power helped 2,600 farmers replace pumps.

To contact the reporter on this story: Randall Hackley in Zurich at rhackley@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Randall Hackley at rhackley@bloomberg.net