By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in Riyadh on Monday with the local chapter of UNICEF to rebuild a massive water supply network in Pakistan devastated by ravaging floods.

The move follows an instruction from Crown Prince Naif, deputy prime minister and interior minister, who authorized Saudi officials to finance the repairing and renovation of some 76 potable water networks to ensure a clean and regular water supply to flood-hit families in the country’s Balochistan province.

“The cooperation agreement was signed by Saeed A. Al-Harthi, advisor at the Ministry of Interior; and Ibrahim Al-Ziq, UNICEF representative to the GCC,” said a statement released by the ministry.

The statement said this support from the Kingdom comes within the framework of the ongoing King Abdullah’s Relief Campaign for Pakistani People (KARCPP), which has so far raised more than SR400 million to help people affected by floods in Pakistan.

Crown Prince Naif, who is also the KARCPP’s general supervisor, has ordered the implementation of the water project, which will cost more than SR6 million.

Clean drinking water is not available in flood-hit areas even today because the entire water supply network was destroyed during the floods, said a Pakistani embassy official. “The water safety situation in Balochistan worsened as a result of the flooding and this also resulted in existing water sources being contaminated,” he added.

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http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article554122.ece

NOTE BY THE EDITOR: 6 million Saudi Riyals, not exactly a huge cost, but still a step in the right direction. All aid by Muslim countries for fellow Muslims countries is much to be preferred over the ‘strings attached’ aid by Super Powers…