KARACHI - The three-day Pak Water Expo concluded at Expo Centre here on Thursday with more than Rs30 million business deals.

The event was organised by the Prime Event Management in collaboration with the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB).

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Deputy Mayor Dr Arshad Abdullah Vohra was chief guest at the closing ceremony. He visited all stalls along with Prime Event Management Director Kamran Abbasi and appreciated his efforts. After the visit, he awarded shields to exhibitors.

On the occasion, Vohra said that such exhibitions should be held twice a year to create awareness among the masses about efficient use of water through modern technology and more business opportunities for local and international companies.

He said that KW&SB’s performance was not satisfactory and it did not deliver well in recent years. “The sewerage system of the city must be replaced to get maximum benefits from the K-IV project, which will take two-and-a-half years to complete. Sewage is mixing up with drinking water due to damaged water supply and sewerage lines and causing various diseases. The federal government should help us resolve this issue,” he said.

Vohra said they had asked the federal government to make the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, but the government had not done this so far. He said that all proposals submitted by Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar should be approved at the earliest. There is a need for water treatment plants in the city right now, he said. The government and the city cannot afford water desalination plants due to high cost, he said.

He said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) never addressed city’s needs during its years in power, but now it was trying to address city’s problems just because of personal interest of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Responding to a question about the ongoing 100-day cleanliness campaign in the city, Vohra said that a symbolic campaign had been started in 18 of the 209 union councils of the city therefore every part of the city could not be cleaned under this campaign. “We will launch such campaigns in all union councils of the city gradually,” Vohra added.

Talking to media persons, Prime Event Management Director Kamran Abbasi said that over Rs30 million business deals were finalised during the water expo. This is a positive outcome and encouraging for organisers and exhibitors, he said.

Officials from public and private sector showed interest in new technology. During all three days, local and international companies exhibited their products and equipment used for water treatment, water desalination, water conservation, water distribution, wastewater management, effluent treatment, water recycle and reuse and wastewater sludge disposal. Pak Water Expo will now be a regular feature every year, Kamran Abbasi said.

On second day of the event, an expo summit was held where Dr Atif Mustafa; Farhan Arooj, engineering director of the Universal Environmental Engineering of Malaysia and Engineer Malik Saleemullah Saeed, business development director for WEMS Group of Companies, delivered lectures.