William Doan, US Embassy Senior Water Resources Engineer, led a delegation of Pakistani government officials and businessmen to Chicago, Illinois to encourage US-Pakistan bilateral commercial bonds and increase trade and investment in the water sector.

Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference 2017 (WEFTEC), t largest technical water quality trade show and educational event in North America were also attended by the delegation. Pakistan’s first official delegation that has been to WEFTEC. Asian Development Bank cited Pakistan as one of the world’s most “water-stressed” countries in 2013. WEFTEC offered Pakistan opportunities for technology and trade transfer in waste and stormwater sector.

The group had meetings with U.S. businesses to explore modern technologies for waste and stormwater management, besides meet with U.S. government officials to discuss water and sanitation policies.

Delegation also paid a visit to Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, including the McCook Reservoir and Pumping Station, and the Kenosha Water Utility, model for how midsized facilities with limited capital improvement budgets can be leaders in wastewater modernization.

Officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan had participated in this inaugural trade mission.