US helps better water supply, higher energy eficiencies

Alexander Thier, Assistant to the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined the Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to visit a neighborhood where USAID has recently installed an energy efficient tubewell. USAID is helping CDA replace 187 outdated water tubewells with more energy efficient models to improve water supply and cut down on energy consumption in the city by approximately 2 megawatts.

“More energy efficient tubewell pumps will not only improve water supply and reduce energy use, but also decrease CDA’s energy bills by $900,000 a year, as well as reduce the circular debt burden for the Islamabad Electric Supply Company which subsidizes the municipal water pumping system,” said Alex Thier during his visit with the Islamabad residents and Government of Pakistan officials. “I would take this opportunity to thank the CDA for accepting our request to jointly address this problem.”

Due to the deteriorating operations of the tubewell pumps, CDA used to receive up to 1,000 water-related complaints a day. I-10 sector was one of the worst-affected areas of Islamabad, contributing nearly half of those complaints, as residents used to have no water for up to one month at a time. Since the replacement of the tubewell in the neighborhood, complaints from I-10 dropped to 40 a day.

“Things have changed massively around here, and the presence of people from this neighborhood is a testament to the success of this project,” said Dr. Saeed, President of the I-10 Civil Society Organization when talking to U.S. and Pakistani officials during the visit.

In addition to the tubewells in Islamabad, this program will replace a number of municipal tubewells in Karachi and Peshawar. This initiative will significantly improve the quality of life for the residents of the three cities. Equally important, it will provide a small, yet immediate reduction to Pakistan’s power shortages, municipal energy bills, and circular debt.  

Municipal tubewell replacement is being carried out by the USAID Power Distribution Program. This 4.5 year program was announced by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in 2009 as one the United States’ efforts to support the Government of Pakistan in reforming the power sector to mitigate the current energy crisis. The program is helping power distribution companies to improve their commercial performance, reduce losses, increase revenues and improve customer service through the introduction of new technology and improved work practices.