Tests find water not fit for drinking: Study on samples for Indus below Jamshoro
By Aziz Malik
HYDERABAD, May 18: An analysis of samples of Indus water from the Kotri Barrage to Latifabad No 4 has found that it is not fit for human consumption.
The samples, drawn from nine places were tested on Monday by Prof Dr M. Y. Khuhawar and Dr S. M. Leghari of the Dr M.A. Qazi Institute of Chemistry, University of Sindh, and Dr Hussain Bux Kolachi, associate professor, community medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, on Monday.
Sharing his findings with Dawn, Prof Khuhawar said that the quality of Indus water which had been good for about 25 years, had declined over recent weeks. He said that the samples collected both from upstream and downstream were unfit for human consumption.
Prof Khuhawar said he believed that drain water discharge into the river contained large amounts pollutants which contaminated the river. According to the findings, the conductivity of the water at some places was as high as 2768 USCM and the presence of foreign ingredients for exceeded the safe limits - almost three times as high on the standard set by the World Health Organization.
Dr Kolachi said that consumption of the polluted water could cause diseases like stomach irritation and pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and skin, kidney and eye diseases. He said that the water was also contaminating fruit, vegetables and milk.
As preventive measures, Dr Kolachi said, water and milk should be boiled and chlorine tablets should be used to kill harmful bacteria. According to him, about 100,000 cusecs of fresh water should be released in the Indus River for at least 15 days to overcome the contamination.
Meanwhile, reports reaching here indicated a big increase in the number of gastroenteritis cases in Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Kotri and other places. Doctors have warned that people using the contaminated water may get infectious like hepatitis-A and typhoid, whose symptoms could appear in two to four weeks if the situation does not improve.
The adviser to the Sindh chief minister on local bodies, Mr Waseem Akhtar, has expressed concern over the situation and the problem being faced by the people of Hyderabad because of supply of contaminated water.
According to a press release, he has taken up the matter with the governor, chief minister and the secretary for irrigation. The director-general, Sindh health services, Dr Hussain Bux Memon, has taken notice of the situation and directed the health department to set up emergency cetres to cope with the problem.
