In the absence of any mechanism to monitor drinking water quality, approximately 2000 million gallons of sewage enter surface water bodies every day in Pakistan, Business Recorder learnt here on Friday.
According to a report of World Bank (WB) on 'Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment,' there is no system to regularly monitor drinking water quality, neither in terms of the source of supply nor when it is received by the user.
The report revealed that despite the enormous size of the Indus Basin System, water availability on per capita basis has been declining at an alarming rate, from about 5,000 gallons in 1951 to about 1,100 gallons currently, which is just above the internationally recognised scarcity rate, and is projected to be less than 700 by 2025.
Typically nullahs and storm water drains collect and carry untreated sewage which then flows into streams, rivers, and irrigation canals resulting in the widespread bacteriological and other types of contamination. Moreover, around 2000 million gallons of sewage is being discharged to surface water bodies which is being used directly for drinking purposes in the absence of regular monitoring.
The report shows that although there are some sewerage disposal lines in Pakistan, this system discharge it to the nearest water body. The disposal levels are less than 20 percent in rural areas and 50 percent nationally while only about 10 percent of collected sewage is effectively treated.
Although National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) are intended to regulate the discharge of industrial effluents to surface water, in the absence of strong monitoring and enforcement mechanism, compliance is very low.
In Lahore, only three out of some 100 industries are using hazardous chemicals for treating their wastewater. In Karachi, the biggest city of Pakistan, two of the biggest industrial estates have no effluent treatment plant, and effluent containing hazardous materials, including heavy metals, is discharged directly into the river and the harbour.
In Faisalabad, an industrial city, there is little segregation of domestic and industrial wastes. In principle, the quality of drinking water 'at the tap' should be regulated and monitored at the local level but there is no routine high-level oversight or reporting of the quality of water supplied across the country. The local authorities have very little capacity for the operation and control of their waste systems and poor water quality is often not flagged until there is a noticeable increase in water-related illnesses.
The world has entered 21st century but the developing world is still suffering from poor sanitary problems. Each year around the world, an estimated 3-5 billion episodes of diarrhea result in about 3 million deaths. Especially in South Asia, a 260 million inhabitants lack basic health facilities, 337 million lack safe drinking water and 830 million are without rudimentary sanitation.
While in Pakistan, less than 30 percent have access to safe drinking water where nearly 40 percent of diseases in Pakistan are water borne. About 200,000 children under the age of 5 die due to diarrhea just because of poor sanitation in Pakistan.