KARACHI, Dec 23: Doctors, physicians and medical consultants, participating in a meeting here on Monday, have expressed their serious concern over a wide range of environmental hazards that are posing a threat to the mental and physical health of children.

Speaking at the meeting, held under the auspices of a local NGO, HOPE, Dr Mobina Agboatwala referred to a study, conducted in different parts of the city to assess the prevalence of lead in the atmosphere, and reminded that the situation was extremely serious.

It has already been established that the lead level in the city exceeds the approved degree and seriously affects the IQ level of the citizens, particularly children.

She regretted that no strategy had been developed so far to address the ailments related to the environmental hazards in Sindh province.

Dr Agboatwala also mentioned the Sindh-based studies on water quality, noise and air pollution, improper disposal of hospital-induced waste. She highlighted the adverse effects of all these factors on public health.

She said that water in rural and urban areas was found to be of questionable quality and held responsible for a wide range of diseases, including diarrhoea, affecting 30 per cent of sick children. The diseases, she added, contributed greatly to the high morbidity and mortality rate.

Elaborating the scenario, she mentioned that against the WHO recommendation of no detectable E.Coli in clean drinking water, 63 per cent of the samples collected from Karachi were found to be grossly contaminated with Most Probable Number (MPN) of Thermotolerant Coliform being above 50.

Referring to the 295 samples collected by different institutions and agencies, she said that all of those taken from canal water and 75 per cent of those taken from hand-pumps, wells, ponds and municipal conduits had the thermotolerant coliforms.

Participants of the meeting expressed their deep concern over the establishment of industrial units within the residential areas of the city and improper disposal of domestic, industrial, hospital and other garbage which, they said, were seriously affecting the public health.—APP