PESHAWAR, Feb 7: More than two million population of the provincial capital of North West Frontier Province drinks contaminated water, environmental scientists at Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research reveals in a latest report.

“Except a section of Hayatabad Township, water in the rest of the city is not safe for drinking,” said Mumtaz Khan, a scientist at PCSIR who had recently completed a survey on quality of drinking water in Peshawar, the largest city of the province.

Two scientists at PCSIR, Mumtaz Kahn and Abdur Rehman, after getting samples of water from different residential areas of the city found out that it was contaminated with high Magnesium (Mg) content.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) standard limit of Magnesium content in water is 150 parts per million (PPM) but water samples taken from residential areas in Peshawar showed presence of Magnesium up to 250 PPM, the survey said.

“Magnesium is the main cause of stomach problems. So people should boil water, let it cool and then sift to make it safe for drinking. This is the only solution for the problem right now,” said Mr Khan

The main source of drinking water in Peshawar district is ground water. The quality of such water throughout Peshawar valley was considered good in the past. However, in recent years water contamination had been reported in different areas of Peshawar. In addition contamination is also reported in the distribution systems.

Surface water resources are highly vulnerable to pollution. A study of Kabul River, completed in the early nineties, indicates that the entire stretch of the river is heavily polluted with sewerage.

This is also true for the other major sur.face water source, the Bara River, environmentalists say.

The recent survey also found out that water in Hayatabad was comparatively safe for drinking because the township was developed recently as compared to other localities of the city and its pipelines were not corroded. But water supply pipes in the cantonment, old Peshawar City and other adjoining residential areas are rusted and cause contamination of water, environmental scientists said.

The seepage from surrounding including sewerage pipes contaminates the water when it is supplied to housing units, the scientist said. “Even water from the wells dug by residents at their houses is not safe for drinking as it is close to surface, just 50-60 ft deep, and is contaminated,” Mr Khan added.

The PCSIR had also tested drinking water supplied to Ittehad Colony some two years ago when some residents of the locality were hospitalised after drinking contaminated water. The presence of carpet factories in the area had contaminated the water and made it hazardous for drinking. The reports about water contamination were sent to the provincial and federal health departments in that case but no action had been taken to rectify the problem, the scientists said.

The Public Health Engineering department officials also admitted that water distribution pipes were more than four decades old and main cause of the problem. However, they said that a project of revamping of water supply pipes in urban areas of Peshawar, worth Rs50 million, was in progress. The project is jointly undertaken by PHE and City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD). “The project was started last year and would finish June this year,” the PHE official said.

The CDMD officials who were responsible for maintenance of water distribution lines were not available for comment on the issue of corroding supply pipes.