A delegation led by United Nations Pakistan Resident Coordinator Mohamed Yahya visited Umerkot this week to inaugurate UNOPSβ upgraded drinking water supply scheme, a significant step for Umerkot water access and local public health.
The improved scheme, delivered under the United States-funded Improved Access to Water & Sanitation Project, is equipped with sand filters, storage tanks and a 14 km distribution network. The upgrade now brings safe drinking water to more than 5,000 residents at their doorstep, ending daily 8β10 km journeys families routinely made for unsafe supplies.
Alongside the inauguration, the team including colleagues from UNICEF, FAO, WHO, WFP, UNDSS and UNRCO, and government partners from the Public Health Engineering Department and Planning & Development Sindh, visited the UNOPS-established water testing laboratory in Umerkot to ensure ongoing water quality monitoring meets safety standards. The delegation also opened a new toilet block at Girls High School Umerkot, providing 1,770 girls with safe sanitation and handwashing facilities.
These measures strengthen local capacities for sustained water delivery and quality assurance and illustrate how targeted investments in Umerkot water services improve health, education and livelihoods. The project contributes to SDG6 and supports practical, sustainable solutions that are already transforming the lives of more than 300,000 people across Umerkot and Tank districts.
