THE source of more than 70 per cent of the drinking water supplied to Karachi is from Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder which originates from the Indus. Thereafter, the KB Feeder is discharged into the Keenjhar Lake, and the water is carried through the Gharo canal to the Dhabeji pumping station for distribution in the metropolis.

While KB Feeder passes through the Kotri and Nooriabad industrial area, the entire industrial waste is discharged into the canal turning the potable water poisonous.

Similarly, the waste of the Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) is being dumped into the Phulleli Canal, which carries water from the Indus to lower areas of Sindh for drinking and agricultural purposes.

This practice has been going on since the industrial areas were established and has greatly increased. The silence on the part of bodies like chambers of commerce and trade associations is understandable, as their top priority is profit. But it is not understood why provincial agencies like the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, the Irrigation Department and the Industries Department are ignoring the problem.

The solution to this chronic health nuisance is the immediate establishment of water treatment plants not only at Kotri, but also Nooriabad and SITE industrial areas and other locations where industrial and commercial effluence is discharged into the fresh water reservoirs.

The Sindh chief minister should take notice of this menace.

Manzoor H. Kureshi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016