The Provincial Secretary to Environment and Alternate Energy Mir Hussain Ali has directed the authorities concerned to avoid the disposal of their industrial toxic effluent into River Indus, failing which strict action would be taken against them.
He directed this while presiding over a meeting regarding supply of safe drinking water to the people of Hyderabad and down stream Kotri Barrage, held at DCO office Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Addressing the meeting the Provincial Secretary directed the managements of such institutions to evolve a sustainable system for safe disposal of their toxic effluence. He directed the Regional Management EPA Hyderabad to conduct survey in detail and submit the report about the institutions or organisations contributing disposal of their toxic and polluted effluent into Indus River that causing health hazards to the people. He also directed them to prepare an action plan for taking action against the violating organizations.
He said that regular monitoring system is evolved and activities for taking water samples, and testing of same be accelerated The DCO Hyderabad Aftab Ahmed Khatri informed the meeting that district government Hyderabad was undertaking continuous efforts to ensure supply of safe drinking water to the citizens. He said that due to the efforts of Zila Nazim Hyderabad Kanwar Naweed Jamil, SOP has been prepared with the consultation of all stakeholders which was being implemented satisfactorily.
He said that district government has hired the services of the water technologists and consultants and was checking the samples of drinking water six times daily. In addition to that monitoring of the water quality in River Indus upstream Kotri Barrage was also being made regularly.
However, he pointed out that with the result of water checking upstream Kotri Barrage, we came to know that the many industries, power plants, pharmaceutical companies were deteriorating the water quality of the Indus river by disposing of their untreated wastage toxic effluent in it. He said that same is the case with KB Feeder Canal due to disposal of toxic effluent of Kotri Industrial State in it.
He said that government of Sindh has provided Rs 500 million to the KATI for installation of treatment plant but nothing has been made till date. He said that KATI has installed oxidation plant but same were in effective because the retention of effluent in these plants was suppose to require for 48 hours, where as due to less capacity, the toxic effluent was passing from these oxidations within few hours. He said that the efforts of district government Hyderabad to ensure safe drinking water to its citizens and lower Sindh would be succeeded completely when the causes of pollution be prevented.
The Chief Engineer Irrigation Sukkur Barrage Atta Soomro informed the meeting that till the RBOD project is completed, his management was releasing the Manchar lake water into Indus River only in critical condition under the SOP prepared with the consultation of district government Hyderabad and all other stakeholders.
He said that toxic effluent carrying Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) was being linked with RBOD project, which was supposed to be completed by June 2008 but due to some technical reasons, it could be delayed for one year.
The Chief Engineer of Public Health Engineering Muhammad Siddique Jalalani also briefed the meeting about the measures taken by his management for supply of safe drinking water to the citizens and stressed the need of integrated planning with public awareness.
On the query from Secretary Environment about the disposal of city effluent into Phuleli canal, the M D Wasa Sharif Awan said that work on Southern Water Treatment Plant was in progress at the Qasimabad, while the Northern Treatment Plant has already been made functional. However, he said that the work of scheme to channalise the city effluent towards Northern Treatment Plant over the Phuleli canal was in progress and after its completion probably within a month time, the city effluent.
Dr Ahsan Siddiqui Water Technologist, Syed Zahir Shah S E Irrigation Kotri Barrage, Shafi Muhammad Lakho Consultant, Irfan Ahmed Abbasi Regional Incharge E P A, Abdullah Soomro Deputy Chief Engineer Site Hyderabad and other officers from district government and H D A attended the meeting.