Unsafe drinking water

Access to potable water remains a major issue in this country. If that is not bad enough, an assessment report recently released by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) on the quality of piped water makes an extremely worrisome reading. According to the survey, as many as 10,000 people die in Karachi every year from drinking contaminated water.
Kidney disease and hepatitis B as well as C are most common. Based on findings of a technical assessment survey in 22 districts of Sindh, the Council concluded that 58 percent of the water supply schemes are not functioning properly. Microbiological contamination was found in all water samples.
To say the least, this is a sad situation. It is reflective of the low priority public health receives in governmental priorities, especially in Sindh. That is plain from an earlier PCRWR report according to which 24 percent of the province's rural population depends on dug well, river, canal or stream water whereas in the largest population Punjab province that percentage is only 7. And where piped water is available, it is mostly unsafe for drinking. The present survey report found that 95 percent of water from functional schemes in Sindh is unfit for drinking. As is well-known, part of the problem is poor maintenance that often times leads to municipal waste or sewerage getting mixed with the water supply. Unrestricted disposal of industrial effluents that seep into groundwater reserves are another source of trouble.
Indeed, water and sanitation is a municipal responsibility, which is performed at levels a lot less than satisfactory. Mismanagement is common and risks are often ignored. Consequently, aside from extraneous hazards, water storages are rarely, if ever, cleaned. And use is rife of poor quality pipes that rust easily or contain high lead content and contribute to contamination. Clearly risk management is required on an ongoing basis. But municipal bodies cannot act alone. The key responsibility in this regard lies squarely on the provincial government's shoulders. It must realise that water quality and public health are linked. And hence investment in the former would result in betterment of the latter. The Sindh government must also improve its performance on wider availability of water, and extend coverage to include populations that still depend on wells and canals, even ponds, for their water requirements. It is about time the issue gets the attention it deserves. A strong resolve is needed to tackle the issue. There are plenty of ideas out there to benefit from. It would be best though for the government to develop a plan along the WHO recommended guidelines on water safety.