*ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued directives to remove allhurdles in construction of Dasu dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.*

Chairing a briefing by Ministry of Water Resources at Prime Minister’sOffice today, the PM said that the issue of acquisition of land andsettlement with the affectees of Dasu dam should be resolved on prioritybasis in consultation with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and takinginto account legitimate demands of the affectees.

The premier also directed ministry of water resources and planning divisionto coordinate with provincial governments and formulate a comprehensiveplan with delineated timelines for undertaking urban water schemes for allmajor cities on priority basis.

The prime minister was briefed in detail about the overall situationregarding the availability of water in the country, situation of storage ofwater and the issues being faced towards ensuring water security forgrowing population of the country.

The PM was informed that the current water storage capacity of around 13.7maf was far below the international standards and needs to be enhanced onpriority basis.

He was told that there was an urgent need to check unregulated abstractionof ground water which has resulted into fast depletion of aquifers, uponwhich the premier directed that a comprehensive plan along with alegislative framework should be worked out for ensuring maximum utilizationof the surface water and reversing the existing trend of unabated pumpingof groundwater.

The premier also directed that a comprehensive plan should be formulated topromote off-grid solutions including harnessing of solar and wind potentialof the country.

Minister for Finance Mr. Asad Umar, Minister for Planning Mr. KhusroBakhtiyar, Minister for Power Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, Advisor to PM Malik AminAslam Khan, Secretaries of Water Resources, Economic Affairs Division, FoodSecurity & Research, Chairman WAPDA and senior officers were present duringthe meeting.