SIALKOT: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) have failed to provide potable water to the people of Sialkot city and surrounding areas.

Health experts say the contaminated water has caused water-borne diseases among the people as the water is being supplied through rusted pipelines.

The water has been declared contaminated and unhygienic by the health department.

TMA officials said the pipelines in most parts of the Sialkot city were broken and sewerage got mixed in water. They also blamed tanneries for polluting the underground water.

District Health Officer Dr Javed Warraich said his department had got examined water samples of the two teaching hospitals and 15 filtration plants and tubewells of the city from the Epidemiology Laboratory of Lahore, which declared the samples of the teaching hospitals contaminated and injurious to health.

TMO Muhammad Zafar Qureshi said the TMA was trying to provide the potable water to the inhabitants as the filtration plants were well maintained. He said Rs6 billion were needed to ensure the provision of clean water to the people in Sialkot city.

In 2007, on the directives of then chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, the PHED made a master plan to improve city’s sanitation and drainage systems.

Under the plan, an awareness campaign was to be launched among the people about the usage of potable water besides supplying clean water to the city.

The project could not be implemented despite the passage of seven years. In 2007, the project was estimated at Rs320 million but the delay has now increased its cost manifold.

TMA officials said the project was still in the pipeline.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2014