water_problems _ PIC EJAZNEWS
A recent report by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has revealed that drinking water in 29 major cities of the country is unsafe. On an average, 61% of all drinking water sources in the country are contaminated.
100% water of Mirpur Khas and Gilgit including Benazirabad city named after former Prime Minister of Sindh province Benazir Bhutto is contaminated and unfit for drinking while 94% of Multan, 93% of Karachi, 92% of Badin and Haider. 80% of Abad and 76% of Bahawalpur water is not safe for drinking.
A report by the Ministry of Science and Technology states that the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has been working on the quality of drinking water across the country since 2001. In 2020-21, the council tested samples of drinking water from various sources in 29 major cities of the country and found that 61% of the country’s water was sterile and unsafe for drinking.
Which cities’ water was analyzed?
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has selected cities in the federal capital Islamabad and Punjab: Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Abbottabad, Mingora and Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. , Peshawar, Balochistan’s cities Khuzdar, Loralai, Quetta, Sindh’s major cities Hyderabad, Karachi, Badin, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Tando Allahyar, Benazirabad while Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan’s capitals Muzaffarabad and Gilgit. Analyzed them with samples.
According to the research, 435 samples of drinking water from 29 major cities of the country were taken and tested on a scale prescribed for national standards, of which 168 or 39% samples were found safe for drinking. On the other hand, 267 samples or 61% of the water was found unfit for drinking.
Researchers say that if steps are not taken to control water pollution in Balochistan, there could be serious risks of water borne diseases in the province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa once had 74 to 78 per cent safe drinking water, but in 2010 the rate dropped to 35 per cent, which has now improved slightly to 48 per cent. 52% of the province’s water is still unfit for drinking. This water contains a large amount of iron. This may be due to iron and other mineral deposits in the province.
In Punjab, 51% of water is not potable. Bacteria, arsenic, fluoride, TDS and nitrate have been identified in the province’s drinking water. Authorities must pay attention to them.
What are the causes of water pollution?
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources says that in the last two decades, the rate of contaminated water in the country has dropped from 82% to 61%, but worryingly, Germs and harmful metals were identified, but no measures were taken. That is why the elements of water pollution are still the same as they were 20 years ago.
According to the research council, the number of germs in the water increases due to the drying up of the water supply line. According to a study, if there is a bacterium in a pipeline, if there is no water in it for a week, then their number reaches billions.
Similarly, groundwater reservoirs that are near a lake or other reservoir of contaminated water can cause stomach ailments in the population as it also affects groundwater which is harmful to human health. ۔
The World Health Organization has issued guidelines in this regard several times.