WASA Lahore unable to explain two year delay consu...

Summary

•   Islamabad:  The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has questioned a delay of more than two years in hiring a consultant for the Lahore Wastewater and Drainage Management Project, raising concerns over procurement procedures, missing supporting documents and the risk of further increases in project costs.
• The project originated in 2019, according to the briefing, but the committee raised concerns over delays in the consultant hiring process and the possibility that slow implementation could lead to substantial cost increases.
• The committee has sought the relevant documents to assess whether the hiring process followed the rules, whether the consultant met its contractual duties and what caused the delay.

AI Generated Summary

Islamabad:  The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has questioned a delay of more than two years in hiring a consultant for the Lahore Wastewater and Drainage Management Project, raising concerns over procurement procedures, missing supporting documents and the risk of further increases in project costs.

During a meeting on October 29, 2026, the committee chairman asked the Project Director of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Lahore, to explain why the process to hire a Project Management Consultant and Owner’s Engineer had taken so long. The official could not provide the requested details about the consultant’s responsibilities and failed to give a satisfactory explanation for the delay.

The committee warned that lengthy procurement and implementation processes can increase project costs and put additional pressure on public finances. It stressed that foreign assistance does not remove the government’s responsibility to ensure that development projects are properly planned, monitored and completed on time.

The Lahore Wastewater and Drainage Management Project is intended to improve the city’s existing sewerage and drainage system. The planned infrastructure includes a sewerage network from LARECHS Colony to Gulshan e Ravi. Officials described the project as important for improving drainage and reducing problems faced by the city during flooding.