Business Plan for Jacobabad Water Supply System

The plan aims to supply clean and safe drinking water to approximately 33,000 households, with a focus on improving health and sanitation services in the city. The Government of Sindh, with the help of USAID, has taken specific measures to improve health and sanitation services in Jacobabad city. The basic objective of this partnership is the development of the water supply infrastructure of Jacobabad, to provide Water Supply System and Solid Waste Management system. The project aims to supply clean and safe drinking water to approximately 33,000 households, before which there was no water supply system available in the city. The population of the city procured groundwater for drinking purposes from tube wells, which was delivered to houses in 30-liter jerry cans by donkey cart. As a result of a Supreme Court of Pakistan ruling issued in March 2017 and subsequent notifications from the Sindh Local Government Department, ownership of infrastructure assets along with the responsibility of services delivery has been transferred to Jacobabad Municipality. Water is a valuable resource but it is expensive to purify and manage its supply equitably. In Jacobabad, it is a complex process to turn raw water from Khirthar Canal into clean drinking water and deliver it to the general population as clean safe drinking water or even for domestic use. The Municipal Committee Jacobabad (MCJ) has prepared a three-year business plan to provide safe and secure drinking water to households, to provide an increase in the total number of connections, an increase in the number of people receiving improved service quality from an existing but improved drinking water source, timely response to complaints regarding water services, and management of their resources in an optimum manner. The Sindh Drinking Water Policy states that access to safely managed drinking water is a fundamental right of every citizen, and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure to provide safe drinking water to all citizens. To safeguard the available water resources and prevention from loss, there is a dire need for amendment and up-gradation of existing Policy legislation, which are insufficient to protect the proper utilization of water resources. Legislation to restricting/appropriation the utilization of groundwater resources is extremely essential. Use of water for a lower category purpose from a purpose meant for a higher category shall be prohibited and if repeatedly done would be punishable. The plan provision for the establishment of Water & Sanitation services MCJ's Business Plan is a comprehensive document that provides the road map to the Water Supply System of Jacobabad for the achievement of its business objectives and continuous improvement of services by monitoring and evaluation through Key Performance Indicators. For effective monitoring and evaluation, an independent third party should be involved. The main purpose of this business plan is to comply with the Sindh Local Government Act-2013, which states that a Municipal Committee within the limits of the funds at its disposal provide or cause to be provided, a supply of wholesome water sufficient for public and private purposes. All private sources of water supply within the local area concerned shall be subject to control, regulation, and inspection by the Municipal Committee. The right to water is implied, being recognized as right to life, in article 9 of the 1973 constitution. The Sindh assembly can legislate and introduce new laws as well as amend the existing laws to ensure the provision of the basic necessity of clean drinking water at the doorstep of every citizen. The business plan aims to achieve its objectives through the implementation of the following strategies: increasing the total number of connections, improving service quality, timely response to complaints, and management of resources in an optimum manner. The plan also includes a financial plan, which outlines the projected income and expenses, financial position, and cash flow statement for three years. The plan also includes a SWOT analysis, which identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the project.