KHORRAMABAD By the end of the Third Economic Development Plan, the number of people who benefit from potable urban water will reach 43 million, equal to 98 percent of the people, said the deputy minister of energy and secretary general of water and sewage.
"At present, 96 percent of urban citizens enjoy sanitary drinking water", said Gholamreza Manuchehri in an interview with reporters.
He underscored the water and sewage company's chief goals and policies for the Third Development Plan as follows: Annually, the average investment has grown at a rate of 20 percent, improving quality service to citizens, developing water resources, increasing the level of the sanitary coefficient, optimum protection of water resources and reliance on domestic industry for implementing projects and constructing parts.
In the Third Plan special attention will be given to developing sewage construction and manufacturing filtration plant in order to improve the level of public hygiene so that sewage service will be raised from 14 percent now to 30 percent.
Manuchehri said that the water and sewage industry is a local and independent industry; nevertheless, this requires government attention for establishing its infrastructure.
According to Note 60 of the Budget Law, resulting from an increase in oil income, the government will spend 30 percent state development credits, equal to 8 trillion rials for developing the country's infrastructures.
During the inauguration ceremony of Ali Mohammadi as the new secretary general of Lorestan's Water and Sewage Company, the deputy governor for development projects announced, "Some provincial cities such as Aligoodarz, Doroud and Broujerd are faced with a water shortage; they hardly have access to water healthful enough to drink.
The Water and Sewage Company should attach special importance to the removal of such problems and take immediate measures to start sewage treatment plants in different cities of the province."