ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: Unicef has called for formulation of policies on drinking water including national water quality standards at provincial and national level in Pakistan and establishment of coordinating mechanisms for drinking water and sanitation at provincial level.

Most of the drinking water available to consumers is ‘grossly contaminated’, with the situation getting worse each year, Unicef has observed in a recent report quoting the findings of Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

According to one estimate, over 200,000 children in Pakistan die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases alone which, in turn, stem from unsafe drinking water and bad hygienic conditions.

It goes on to take issue with the finding of Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS 2002) which put the proportion of households using water from taps, hand pumps and motor pumps at 86 per cent.

It said this figure did not take into account three factors concerning access (in terms of distance to the source and equitability), quantity of water available to users which may differ according to income levels, geographic location and the safety status of water including the deterioration in water quality from bacteriological and chemical contamination.

The PIHS figure is also at variance with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper that reports that the national drinking water coverage to be slightly over 60 per cent.

Among the many factors contributing to deteriorating drinking water quality identified in the report are contamination of drinking water sources, suction of sewage waste into the drinking water pipe network, lack of clear and obligatory policy/national standard on water quality, absence of water quality monitoring and surveillance mechanism at different levels and lack of affordable technologies for treatment.

Unicef, the report adds, “supports Pakistan’s commitment to increase safe water and sanitation through the provision of water supply systems (hand pump, tubewell, and gravity flow supply systems), environmental sanitation promotion, including celebration of sanitation week, capacity building at various levels, school sanitation and hygiene education and water quality amongst others.

It also takes grave note of the lack of sanitary conditions, particularly, in the rural areas where almost 60 per cent of the people are without any sanitary facilities. At the current rate, it may take up to 49 years to increase sanitary latrine coverage to all the rural households.

This state of affairs “not only contributes to an unhealthy environment at school, but is also thought to have a negative influence on primary school environments and retention, particularly for girls”.

Learning about hygiene at school is one way children can motivate families back at home, it points out.

The report said Unicef, under the next country programme, planned to assist the government in furnishing every school with safe water, latrines and hygiene education in the selected districts.

Due to drought and over-exploitation of water resources, it said, the per capita water availability had reduced significantly. A typical symptom is steep fall in water table. In order to protect water resources and to ensure sustainable use, water resource management has become vital for Pakistan, it stressed.

To address the situation, Unicef has recommended, inter alia, the establishment of Provincial Water Management Authority; policy development/enforcement of regulations; awareness raising, education, and advocacy; promotion of alternative crops; promotion of efficient irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigations; irrigation scheduling and land use management plan; prevention of seepage and loss of water including misuse of drinking water; reuse of waste water; and soil and water conservation practices.