Water borne diseases due to polluted water have taken a turn for the worse in lower Sindh but no counter measures have been taken so far to solve the problem. Despite the fact that over 70 people, mostly children, were died and hundreds other victims of contaminated water supply in Hyderabad were hospitalised, the government authorities are looking reluctant to remove the grievances of the masses in rural Sindh.
In dictionary, pollution is defined as "to make any feature of environment offensive, or harmful to human, animal and plant". Water pollution occurs when a body of water is adversely affected due to the addition of large amounts of materials to the water.
Studies conducted on water pollution reveal that there are two types of water pollutants exist; point source and nonpoint source. Point sources of pollution occurs when harmful substances are emitted directly into a body of water, while nonpoint source delivers pollutants indirectly through environment.
Contamination in surface water varies depending on the dissolved or suspended salts minerals and organic nutrients. "Algae" and protozoa make-up the majority of microbes found in fresh water, while the bacteria, fungi and viruses are a smaller part of the aquatic microbial biomass and aerobic microbes.
Many causes of pollution, including sewage and fertilisers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates. In excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of these types of organisms consequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters.
Pollution in the form of organic material enters waterways in many different forms as sewage, leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from livestock feedlots and pastures. When natural bacteria and protozoan in the water breakdown this organic material, they begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in the water.
The pollution of rivers, canals and waterways with chemical contaminants is yet another most crucial environmental problems. Waterborne chemical pollution entering rivers, canals and watercourses cause tremendous amounts of destruction.
Pathogen, which includes bacteria, viruses and protozoan, is another type of pollution that proves very harmful. They can cause many illnesses ranging from typhoid, hepatitis and gastro-enteritis, to minor respiratory and skin diseases.
Agriculture, including commercial livestock and poultry farming, is the source of many organic and inorganic pollutants in surface waters and groundwater. These contaminants include both sediments from erosion cropland and compounds of phosphorus and nitrogen that partly originate in animal wastes.
A study regarding the drinking water reveals that the main source of drinking water in Sindh is River, canals and watercourses, which have been turned polluted by one or the other way, as urban waste and agriculture affluent are being thrown into the river and canals. Besides, over 80 percent rural and urban population of Sindh does not have easy access to safe drinking water.
The situation is further aggravated when the local irrigation authorities released the toxic water of Manchar Lake into the river Indus upstream of Kotri Barrage resulting in number of fatal cases and hoards of diseases.
A comparative study of the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard for drinking water and Manchar Lake reveals that we are out to eliminate our future generations.
WHO water standard: Turbidity 10ppm, lead 0.1ppm, Fluoride 1.5 ppm, Arsenic 0.05ppm, Selenium 0.05 ppm, Hexavalant chromium 0.05 ppm, copper 1-3ppm, Iron & Magnesium 125 ppm, Zinc 15ppm, Chloride 250 ppm, Phenols 0.001, Sulphate 250ppm, TDS 500-1000 ppm, and the colour shall not exceed 20 ppm on platinum-cobalt-scale.

=====================
Manchhar Lake Water
---------------------
Conductivity     5200
Arsenic        80 ppm
Mercury       137 ppm
Sulphate     1100 ppm
Magnesium     550 ppm
Chloride     1150 ppm
Calcium        350ppm
=====================

This indicates an alarming situation and risk to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living downstream Kotri Barrage. A study of waterborne diseases reveals that the disease is of four types, Bacteria, Viral, Protozoa and Fungus.
The important bacterial diseases include: Typhoid fever, Cholera, bacterial dysentery that are generally transmitted when human faecal from carries or patients contaminated water. Viral diseases transmitted by water include Viral Hepatitis and Poliomyelitis. The amoebiasis and giardiasis caused by protozoan are important concern in water pollution.
The bacterial disease includes cholera, diarrhoea, jaundice, paratyphoid fever and typhoid. Protozoa disease includes amoebic dysentery, lambliasis etc while viral disease Hepatitis. The fungus diseases include Ringworm and other fungi infections.
According to official figures no less than14,000 cases of Leismaniasis had been reported while the unofficial number is much higher than the government's figure. Similarly, over 0.1 million cases of Hepatitis A and C have been recorded and the number of cases is multiplying with alarming rate.
The farming community apprehending that the waterborne diseases, particularly Hepatitis A and C, Leismaniasis gain epidemic proportions. They have demanded that a National Task Force, comprising medical scientists, should be constituted to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify the causes of waterborne diseases and suggest precautionary measures to save human lives, who in prevailing situation are at stake.
Similarly, food and water testing laboratories should also be setup in rural areas to carryout tests and announce precautionary measures immediately.
But, it seems neither the demands of rural populace have been acknowledged nor any step was taken to improve the situation with the result hundreds of thousand of people in this part of Pakistan is living under the lurking fear of disease and death.