DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Public Health Engineering Fazal Shakoor Khan on Wednesday inaugurated an upgraded Water Quality Management Information System (WQ-MIS), aimed at improving monitoring of drinking water quality and enabling faster, evidence-based decisions across the province.
The system has been developed with technical support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said a handout.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the minister said access to safe and clean drinking water was a fundamental right of citizens and a key responsibility of the state. He said water quality was closely linked to public health, particularly the wellbeing of children and other vulnerable groups.
The ceremony was attended by UNOPS Pakistan Country Manager Jennifer Ankrom, KOICA Pakistan Office Deputy Country Director Harim Go, Secretary Public Health Engineering Masood Younas, senior departmental officials, directors, chief engineers and executive engineers.
Mr Khan said the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) managed a large network of water supply schemes across the province, making reliable information, timely laboratory results and accurate data essential for effective planning and decision-making.
He said the upgraded system would integrate laboratory operations with water supply service management, allowing systematic data entry, analysis and reporting.
The minister said the system offered improved data processing, a user-friendly interface, streamlined sample registration and enhanced reporting facilities. For the first time, he added, it had been hosted on the PHED’s own live server, strengthening institutional ownership, data management and operational control.
The initiative is part of cooperation between the provincial government, the government of the Republic of Korea, KOICA and UNOPS under a memorandum of understanding signed in August 2021 to strengthen water-quality laboratories in Pakistan.
Mr Khan said technology alone could not improve public services without trained and responsible human resources. He said user testing and staff training had already begun, while additional training for executive and chief engineers would be conducted during the current month.
He directed departmental officers and staff to use the system regularly, test it under actual operating conditions and promptly report any shortcomings so that improvements could be made.
The minister said the province needed to embrace digital tools and evidence-based planning to strengthen water-quality monitoring, accountability and oversight and ensure a reliable supply of safe drinking water.
Mr Khan thanked the Korean government and KOICA for their technical assistance and bilateral cooperation and appreciated UNOPS for its support in developing the system. He also commended PHED’s technical teams and staff for their efforts, expressing confidence that the upgraded WQ-MIS would become an important tool for engineers, laboratory personnel and policymakers.
The minister formally handed over the upgraded system to PHED and declared it operational, expressing hope that it would contribute to better water-quality management and safer drinking water for people across the province.
