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V. City Report
Faisalabad (Pakistan)
Mr. Syed Ghias Ud Din
Managing Director
Water and Sanitation Agency Faisalabad Development Authority
Faisalabad was previously known as Lyallpur, and
was named after Sir James Lyall, then Britain's Lieutenant Governor of
Punjab. (His grandson is now Britain's ambassador to Pakistan.) It was
established as a market town in 1895. It was largely uncultivated and
served as a meadow for cattle.
The city itself was laid out in the form of a Union Jack, with eight
streets radiating from a central point. The first prominent building in
the area was the Deputy Commissioner House. It was followed by Qaisri
Gate in 1898. At present the municipal area is over 30,146 acres
(12,200 hectares).
The industrial and commercial components of the city began to grow in
the 1930's. After 1951, industrialization took place very rapidly and
it is now the second largest industrial town in Pakistan, after
Karachi. It surpassed 1 million in population in 1981. Railway lines
and the canal skewed growth in the city to its western side.
The city is elevated above bordering flood plains, but is generally
beyond the reach of flood waters. The subsoil is formed by alluvial
deposits. The area is semi-arid and characterized by large seasonal
variations of temperature. Rainfall also varies markedly from year to
year.
Average annual rainfall in the last 32 years has been 15.14 inches,
with a minimum of 7.7 inches and a maximum of 28.04 inches. The
humidity tends to be higher in winter than in summer.
The city has experienced a phenomenal increase in population:
| Year |
1941 |
1951 |
1961 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
| Population |
69930 |
179000 |
425248 |
1900000 |
2000000 |
2100000 |
2200000 |
240000 |
Faisalabad's population growth in the 20 years from 1941 to 1961
represents a record in the demographic history of Pakistan, unrivaled
even by Karachi. The city is today passing through an extreme stage of
urbanization due to the rapid industrialization process. People from
rural areas are rushing towards the city in search of employment and
other social services.
The city has many types of industries, including textiles, food,
tanneries, paper and chemicals. It does not tend to have high tech
industries.
The Tehsil Council Faisalabad City is an elected body consisting of 162
members. The mayor and members of the city assembly serve four-year
terms. Taxes levied on citizens include license fees, advertisement
taxes, wheel taxes, tax on transfer of immovable property, and house
taxes. The city also receives tax allocations from central and
provincial
governments. The budget for 2003 had revenues 1,052,434,000 (Pak.
rupees) and expenditures of 986,649,000 (Pak. rupees).
The city wrote a master plan in 1992, and updated
it in 1996, with assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
Major urban problems include adequate and clean water supply, providing
public transportation, the residential environment in slum areas,
health and medical services for low-income residents, and attendance at
primary schools.
Average daily abstraction of ground water is 160,000 cubic meters per
day from the Chenab Well Field, which consists of 26 tube wells. The
majority of the surface water supply is taken from the Jhang Branch
Canal and the Rak Branch Canal, which both run off the Chenab River.
For water, the city has a grid supply system of iron ductile pipe,
providing water to 60 percent of the population. As a second source of
water, we have installed tubewells, with 16 still remaining to be
installed out of a total of 50. A third source of water is surface
water, which is treated in sedimentation tanks.
Surface water is used entirely for residential purposes. Underground
water is distributed with 64 percent for residential and 36 percent to
industry.
The city faces a shortage of potable water sources
because some underground water is not fit for drinking and the supply
of surface water is limited. Transportation of water from other areas
is expensive.
The city has a flat topography and gravity flow is not adequate for
draining stormwater in an acceptable time. Pumping is required, and the
city is inundated as often as five times per year.
The government of Japan is considering financing a project for
improvement of city water supply through the installation of 22 tube
wells. This would add 92,000 cubic meters of supply daily.
Recent city projects have included the addition of more tube wells and
the replacement of old and undersized pipes.
Domestic water charges are based on a flat tariff for given plot size.
Metered supply and charges on the amount of water used are applied to
industrial customers. The present rate of collection is 55 percent for
domestic customers and 65 percent for industrial users. For three years
the water agency has received no funding from the government of Punjab,
and operates financially on its own.
Sewage service reaches 70 percent of the city
residents. The total amount of sewage treated per year is 29.8 million
cubic meters. The average amount treated per day is 81,818 cubic
meters. The wastewater and stormwater systems are separate.
Challenges facing the sewage system include the expense of pump
stations to avoid deeper sewers, high silt load, storm drains being
forced to serve as waste sewers, and lack of separation between
industrial and residential sewers.
Past projects of WASA Faisalabad including the construction of five
pump stations, a sewage treatment plant, 14km of trunk sewers and 70km
of branch sewers. Defective and outdated sewers have been replaced,
pump stations have been renovated, one pump station has been expanded,
and many new sewer lines have been laid. There is no separate sewage
treatment charge for individuals.
The Pakistan Environmental Protection Authority, founded in 1977,
serves as a watchdog on environmental issues. Laws and regulations are
promulgated by the federal government for city and district governments.
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| CONTENTS |
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Newsletter No.42
Inside
FEATURE:
Population and Sustainable Water Resource Management In Urban Planning
1. The 2003
Seminar on Population and Sustainable Water Resource Management in
Urban Planning
2. Population and Water Resource Management
3. Water Environment Preservation and
Sustainable Water Resource Management in Urban Areas
4. Water Resource Management of Kobe City
5. City Reports
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Tianjin, China
Chennai, India
Surabaya, Indonesia
Kuantan, Malaysia
Faisalabad, Pakistan
Olongapo, Philippines
Khon Kaen, Thailand
Haiphong,
Vietnam
6. UNFPA Seminar on Population, Water and
Gender in Asia
7. AUICK Presented New Project Proposal for
the years 2004-2007 to UNFPA
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