May 27, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1429

GUJRAT, May 26: A defective sewerage system, industrial effluents and deserted water filtration plants are making the people of Gujrat to drink contaminated water.

Gujrat’s drinking water is contaminated with coliform bacteria. According to a study, human excretion is mixing in the drinking water because of the city’s 40-year-old seeping sewerage system.

In consequence, thousands of people living in localities such as Fazal Karim Colony, Marghzar Colony, Chah Araian, Muslimabad, Alipura, Mohla Khurd, Hariyawala, Baghdad Colony, Noorpur Sharqi, Mehmda, Dara Gulab Shah, Aminabad, Jinnah Street, Rehmani Street, Shadman Colony, Sargodha Road, Zafar Colony, Hayatpura, Railway Road, Qasimpura, Tiba Rangpura, Shah Hussein Mohallah, Gulberg Colony, Bagh Bawa, Azizabad, Islampura, Umarabad, Kalra, Gujjar Colony, Rehmatabad, Kalupura, Qamar Sialvi Road and Bakhshupura are suffering from diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, typhoid, intestinal diseases, hepatitis and other waterborne diseases.

Some people from these areas go to water filtration plants to fetch safe drinking water, but the fact is that these filtration plants are not being maintained regularly. The district government installed three water filtration plants in the city a year ago. Their filters need to be changed every three months, but they have not been changed even after one year.

Though water supplied by these filtration plants may also not be safe, several people visit these plants with a belief that they are going to fetch safe drinking water. However, frequent power outages add salt to the injuries of those who come to these filtration plants, as they have to wait for hours to fill their buckets. "We do not have clean drinking water at home and come here for the purpose, but we have to wait for hours," said a man who was waiting for his turn at a filtration plant.

The water contamination problem worsened after the previous government laid new sewerage lines last year. The new sewerage pipes were not connected properly therefore sewage entered the drinking water supply lines.

"The Gujrat district government spent Rs1 billion to revamp the sewerage system of the city over the last one-and-a-half-year, but 25-30 per cent work has yet to be completed," said a district government official, adding this amount was sufficient to lay a completely new sewerage system.

Pakistan People’s Party representatives have promised to develop the area, but they have yet to take any solid steps in this direction. Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, the defence minister, recently announced a project of Rs470 million to replace old water supply lines in NA-105, but this project has yet to begin. Gujrat Tehsil Municipal Officer Sarfraz Ahmed Naz said the project announced by Mr Mukhtar would take two-three years to complete.

Gujrat is home to more than 500 big and small industrial units, which are also adding to the groundwater pollution.