KARACHI: While the Sindh High Court has given strict directives against cultivation of vegetables using sewage, a report of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has revealed that the exercise is still being carried out on the outskirts of the metropolis, it emerged on Sunday.

The SHC had time and again issued clear directives to authorities to take action against use of wastewater for vegetable cultivation particularly on the Malir river bed.

The use of untreated sewage in the cultivation of vegetables is causing a number of diseases, including hepatitis and cancer, experts said, adding that wastewater should not be used for vegetable production because these chemicals are absorbed by the vegetables along with the water, and this affects health.

The SFC compiled a fresh report after weeks of detailed surveys and field operations. It gives details of its operations so far this year in the city in an attempt to regularise the food business while ensuring required compliance with relevant laws.

Sindh Food Authority has identified 500 acres where vegetables are being grown with wastewater

Apart from inspecting regular food outlets, production facilities and eateries, teams of the SFA went a step further and ‘in the first phase’ identified some 500 acres within Karachi division, where cultivation of mostly edible agriculture produce were under way by using untreated sewage.

Before devising any strategy, a top official said, the SFA was coordinating with agriculture experts and gathering more credible evidence in collaboration with the University of Karachi.

“We have so far only identified these areas in Karachi where the agriculture activities are going on using sewage,” said SFA director general Agha Fakhar Hussain. “After collecting samples from these areas we are now coordinating with the University of Karachi to check all relevant details which are required before any action.”

He said that sewage was being used for cultivating vegetables. “But still we are testing these agricultural produce in collaboration with experts so that no one could blame us for any unjust action when we move.”

He also referred to the recently launched initiative to establish food laboratories in the public sector universities of the province for which the SFA was closely working with stakeholders in line with its mandate to ensure the food quality across the province.

“We recently signed an accord with the Food Sciences and Technology Department of the University of Karachi for working together to improve food quality and give access to SFA officials to get food samples checked in the food laboratory of the varsity,” he said.

In less than six months, the SFA report says, it conducted raids, carried out inspections and held quality visits of different food businesses and issued challans to more than 45,000 such facilities to ensure quality and maintaining of hygiene.

Out of a total 47,875 such actions this year so far, 18,982 were held against restaurants and catering centres, which were fined in order to ensure the required quality standards.

Similarly, the report says, sweet shops and bakers stood second in the category as 9,834 were issued challans for defying the required quality standards.

In the same exercise, the SFA has also ‘discarded’ some 92,000 litres of milk in different parts of the city after it found the commodity not fit for human consumption.

It also destroyed 51,000 kilograms of different spices as well as 64,000 kilo of ‘Chinese salt’ on the same grounds.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2023