Improving the supply of drinking water

In order to supply the City of Faisalabad with drinking water, we were mandated by Pakistan’s Water and Sanitation Agency to increase drinking-water production capacity, renovate, improve, and expand the supply and distribution network, and optimize network performance. As part of a public utility project to supply an entire section of the city with water, this new treatment plant is designed to operate 24/7.

Background

Located in the province of Punjab, about 100 kilometres southwest of Lahore, Faisalabad is the third-largest city in Pakistan. This city was originally an agricultural centre that gradually became a major industrial hub.
Faisalabad is very densely populated, with more than three million inhabitants living in area of approximately 122 km2. With an annual growth rate exceeding 3.5%, the city’s population is growing exponentially. In fact, it more than doubled between 1972 and 1998, from approximately 823,000 inhabitants to 1,978,000. The population has since surpassed the three-million mark.
Despite this enormous population growth, water-supply infrastructure was almost non-existent or unequal to the demand, resulting in water shortages (and therefore low pressure) in the city’s water pipes for most of the day.

Technical overview

First and foremost, the project called for the design and construction of a drinking-water treatment plant with a capacity of 48,000 m3/day. In addition, ten wells with a throughput capacity of 100 m3/hr and 13 kilometres of cast-iron pipes (ND 300/400/500/600) were installed to supply the old quarter of Madina Town.
In order to renovate, improve, and extend the supply and distribution network, we set up 8 kilometres of cast-iron pipes to connect the existing water reservoirs to the southern part of the city’s main network, thereby increasing water supply and pressure in the southwestern part of the city. We also rehabilitated and retrofitted the majority of the city’s intermediate pumping stations to supply its various sectors.
To optimize network performance, a comprehensive system (supplied by VINCI subsidiary WMI) was installed. In addition to improving network performance, the system locates leaks (detection of illegal connections, installation of 20,000 household meters and 51 network meters, improved billing system).
One of the main issues on this project was the lack of equipment; it was difficult to find suitable equipment for the worksite. Furthermore, working in temperatures ranging from 35° and 45°C for seven months (from April to October) was a hurdle we had to overcome.

The project’s multicultural nature was one of the key challenges on this project. Standards are different in each country; in this case, we had to create common values of safety and environment-protection on the site. In the end, we put in 2,908 person-hours of safety training on site.

IMPACT

The project was financed through Réserves Pays Émergents (France’s emerging markets reserve) as it qualified for public funding (France’s Aide publique au développement program) and met Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) requirements for export support.
The assistance provided by the emerging markets reserve allows public entities (central government, provincial governments, agencies, etc.) to obtain funding to develop infrastructure projects that would not meet market requirements for financial viability. These projects have to meet the sustainable economic development needs of the recipient countries.
In addition, this assistance aims to contribute to the international development of French companies: 70% of the added value of contracts financed through the emerging markets reserve must be carried out on French territory (factories, equipment manufacturers, engineering, etc.).
The project benefits the French economy and serves the public interest of Pakistan. Thanks to the new plant, wells and networks, the city of Faisalabad can now provide water to its southwest sector, which it had not been able to do in the past.

Project participants

Client
Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA)

Project management
Artelia

Key figures

Implementation dates
November 2012 to November 2016

Capacity
48,000 m3/day

Testimonial

“Working in Faisalabad represents a huge challenge culturally. Having said this, with everyone’s involvement (from locals and expatriates), this project was a success in terms of safety, finance and technique.”

ROMAIN BORDES, WORKS ENGINEER

Rehabilitating and expanding the drinking-water treatment plant

Kantale

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