A meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in the chair gave go-ahead to install smart meters in Lahore, a handout said on Friday.

The second meeting of public-private partnership policy and monitoring board formally approved the two-year plan aimed at preventing water theft and wastage.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) will provide its domestic and commercial consumers with 711,265 smart meters in two years. Under the Rs10.353 billion plan, consumers will pay 20 percent of charges in 10-year installment package.

Reportedly, Pakistan is among the countries facing extremely high levels of water stress. Taps in 17 states having more than a quarter of the population, could soon run dry, according to World Resources Institute's Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas.

Wasa Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz said the project will help overcome water shortage.

The meeting also okayed concessional agreement of Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop-III, ADB-funded hospitals, Muzaffargarh industrial estate, citizen’s facilitation and service centre in Punjab and Wazirabad-Sialkot-Sambrial Road.

Secretary Dr Farrukh Naveed briefed the meeting, saying: “Service rules and guidelines for project management facility have been compiled. Punjab has Rs2500 billion public private partnership potential in the sectors of health, education, tourism, infrastructure and roads.”

Provincial ministers Hashim Jawan Bakht, Samiullah Chaudhry, Advisor Salman Shah, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Chairman Planning & Development, secretaries and others attended the meeting. Delay in some projects draw CM ire. Apathetic behaviour intolerable. I want progress in next meeting, CM Buzdar said.