January 25, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 05, 1428

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HYDERABAD, Jan 24: A professor of analytical chemistry and a water technologist of the University of Sindh told Sindh High Court on Wednesday that the completion of the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) project in time was a precondition for keeping water in Manchhar Lake and River Indus from getting polluted on long term basis.

Dr. M. Y. Khuhawar (S.I), dean of the Faculty of Natural Science, and Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahsan Siddiqui of National Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry of the University of Sindh said in their reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sindh should be instructed to ensure the industrial wastewater fulfilled the standards of National Environmental Quality (NEQs) before it was released into Main Nara Valley (MNV).

The agency should also see to it that water was regularly monitored at Mero Khan Zero Point, Hairdin pumping station in Larkana and receiving point of wastewater from other provinces, the professor said.

Sindh’s Additional Advocate General (AAG) Masood A. Noorani submitted the reports to the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court, which had directed the two experts on December 21 to prepare short and long terms proposals following three public interest litigations questioning supply of polluted and poisonous water from Manchhar released into the River Indus in May 2004, which had led to the deaths of 42 people.

The petitions were filed by Fahimuddin, Mohammad Ishaque Qureshi Advocate and Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE).

The division bench of Justice Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah directed the EPA director general to appear in court on February 1 to submit his report on the steps the agency had taken with regard to NEQs.

Dr. Khuhawar pointed out that non supply of freshwater from the river and hill torrents to the lake’s catchment area had led to the destruction of fish and fauna.

He disagreed with an earlier report submitted to the court on December 21 by Dr. M. Ahsan Siddiqui which put mercury's concentration in the lake at 50 mg per litre and 100 mg per litre and said that his own analysis of the lake’s water indicated mercury’s concentration within the range of 3.57-4.30 mg a litre and 6.77 mg a litre and 9.50 mg a litre at the tail and head of regulators, respectively.

The toxicity in lake’s water rose to alarming levels due to sudden reduction in the supply of river water, less rainfall and extensive evaporation. "The salts concentration of 3200-3283 mg a litre TDS are higher than 2099-2618 mg per litre TDS observed at MNV drain. A raise in the flow of drainage water contributed to increase in salts concentration," the reports said.

Dr. Mohammad Ahsan Siddiqui, water technologist, emphasised the need for completing RBOD within schedule or even before schedule and said the EPA should be directed to ensure NEQ standards were followed before release of industrial wastewater into MNV drain. He said and added that regular monitoring was essential at Mero Khan Zero Point, Hairdin pumping station at Larkana and receiving point of wastewater from other provinces.

He suggested that the districts from where the MNV passed should be directed to stop release of human waste into the drain and RBOD without treating it and fisheries department should be asked to ensure that fishermen should not use certain hazardous material to increase their catch.