Polluted water: cultivation of vegetables posing serious health hazard

Cultivations of vegetables from polluted water in the outskirts of the city is posing serious public health hazard and authorities concerned are doing almost nothing to stop this practice. Experts believe that contaminated water, industrial waste and unhygienic food are causing a surge in the incidence of Hepatitis-A disease.
They said that different government and private hospitals reported that patients of Hepatitis-A were increasing. Experts feared that the situation was worsening in cities such as Karachi, Multan, Swat, and areas near Islamabad where the polluted water contaminated drinking water because of poor sanitation system.
"Though government had conducted a wide-ranging operation against the cultivation of vegetables using contaminated water and even uprooted such crops, but green vegetables are still being cultivated in various areas of Malir and elsewhere," a man wishing not to be named told Business Recorder.
"Urban areas where sewerage water is being used to grow vegetables are at high risk as the people are unaware of the quality of water being used to cultivate them and therefore, suffer from Hepatitis-A due to intake of these contaminated vegetables,", they said.
It has been reported that hundreds of patients used to admit to government and private hospitals due to epidemic in urban cities such as Karachi or its outskirts. It has also been observed that the sewerage water falls into fresh water lakes and streams. Sources said that due to poor infrastructure, including sewerage and drainage systems, contaminated water gets mixed with the drinking water, posing serious health risk for the common man.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had conducted tests in few areas and found them prone to Hepatitis-A. However, scores of areas are also affected with the same problem and continue to cause health hazards to people with infectious disease. Medical experts say that it is the responsibility of the government to providing clean drinking water to the citizens on a regular basis. Doctors advised patients to get vaccinated against Hepatitis-A as preventive measures.