Clean Water, Stopping Stunted Growth Govt's Top Agenda: Amin Asalm

Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam Tuesday said that it was government's top priority to provide clean drinking water and was also taking measures for stopping stunted growth in the country.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam Tuesday said that it was government's top priority to provide clean drinking water and was also taking measures for stopping stunted growth in the country.

Prime Minister's initiatives of Clean and Green Pakistan, Trees Plantations, Solid and Liquid Waste Management, Toilet Coverage and Clean Drinking Water were aimed at socio-economic uplift of the country.

The minsiter was addressing as chief guest at the launching ceremony of World Bank's report on "When Water Becomes a Hazard and The state on Water Supply, Sanitation and Poverty in Pakistan and its Impact on Child Stunting".

Malik said the report showed that poverty was not the only cause of stunted growth but environment was also contributing to it particularly among children below five years.

The Adviser said "We are working on both hardware and software to resolve the issues of waste management to improve overall health of the people. An awareness drive has also been launched to change the peoples behavior and culture, he added.

He said that the government wanted to bring public-private partnership for sustainable environment growth and involve corporate sector to play their role through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for up- gradation of environmental situation.

Amin further said "We have good partnership with World Bank and share projects to address the issues of environment and poverty in the country and improving coordination with local governments at gross root level.

Replying to a question, he said that in 100 days plan was meant to adopt a comprehensive planning strategy for change in coming years and bringing real change in the country.

Talking to APP after his address, Adviser to PM on Climate Change, Amin said according to this report Khyber Paktunkhwa (KP) saw the largest decline in poverty, followed by Punjab and Sindh.

He said that major cause of poverty reduction in KP was investment on human capital and implementation of local body system at gross roots level.

Speaking on the occasion, Country Director World Bank for Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu said that "This report provides timely evidence and clear policy advice on the importance of safe water and sanitation for addressing malnutrition",stunting is a serious problem in Pakistan.

He said that it severely impacts the learning of children which puts them at a permanent disadvantage in the age of the knowledge economy.

The WB Country Director said that investments in waste management systems as well as in the provision of safe drinking water needs to begin on an urgent basis but these will take time to reach scale.

Rural areas across Pakistan have seen little or no investment in publicly provided piped drinking water, sewer connections or the treatment of human waste", said Dr. Ghazala Mansuri, the author of the report. "But even the most developed urban areas are not immune, She said.

The untreated waste water was mixed with ground and surface water to irrigate crops, so these pathogens also find their way to urban households, she regretted.

Ghazala said that targeting available resources to the poorest and least well served districts would not only maximize the direct impact of public spending, it would also reduce the negative spillovers created by poor quality sanitation and water to neighboring non-poor areas creating a virtuous win-win cycle for all.

"Pakistan's long-term aim must be adequate and safe piped water supply with metering and realistic tariffs", said Farhan Sami, co-author of the report.