ABSTRACT
There are thousands of abandoned water supply schemes in Pakistan due to poor operation and maintenance of these schemes by local water and sanitation departments. These schemes were built with multimillion-dollar loans adding heavy burden to the low-income taxpayers, who bear the brunt of the heavy indirect tax-based revenue system. Many government experts ask for new schemes in view of the existing dysfunctional schemes. Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB) has restored one such scheme through a process of connecting the dots in Bhalwal town in Pakistan. ASB mobilized beneficiary communities in Bhalwal to install meters for paying water charges and engaged and activated the government to carry out repair and maintenance. ASB restored the scheme without asking for a single penny in grant money from the government or donors. It is an innovative case of stretching the dollar for improving local SDGs.
