HARIPUR, Aug 8: In order to eradicate water-borne diseases and avoid a major disaster like the one that struck Lahore, the government must ensure that citizens receive safe drinking water by installing treatment plants at the union council level. This was discussed in an open forum on drinking water policy arranged by the Network, Islamabad, and Sungi here on Monday.

Social activists of different Haripur-based civil society organizations, local government candidates and former councillors attended the session.

It was agreed that for providing protection to the citizens from water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and hepatitis the contamination of water should be controlled by laying new water and sewerage lines in the urban areas while the quality of water in rural areas should also be ensured by frequent biological and chemical testing.

The participants said that unless filtration plants were not installed at the union council level and water tanks were not cleaned providing safe drinking water to the citizens would remain a big problem.

They agreed that the voters must offer their vote to local body candidates on the

condition that safe drinking water be provided to them at all times. Besides a district level advisory committee, comprising notables from all walks of life, should be constituted in Haripur and a certain portion of the district’s income be earmarked for the sole purpose of providing safe drinking water to the people.

The speakers also stressed on the need to have potable water tested regularly.

Ibrar Hussain Shah of the Rural Development Project held the industrialists of the Hattar Industrial Estate responsible for the contamination of water in Hattar and the villages lying in its vicinity.

He said that toxic waste from the industry was let off into brooks which badly contaminated the water in Haripur.

Mr Mohsin of The Network said that despite the fact that international protocols and covenants guarantee safe drinking water for the people, Pakistan has so far not formulated a specific policy in this regard because of which scores of people were dying of water-borne diseases annually.

Naeem Iqbal of Sungi said that a number of countries were exposed to the worst water crisis and forced to use sea water for their survival, which calls for a pragmatic approach on the part of both the government as well as citizens.

He said that wastage of water had never been taken into consideration in Pakistan but now the looming water crisis requires people to avoid its wastage.