LARKANA, Sept 27: Director-general, Environment Protection Agency, Sindh, Shafique Ahmed Khoso, has said that the government is considering to set up water purification plants in seven districts and filter plants in 16 districts of the province.

In a meeting held here on Monday, the DG said that in this regard, Shahdadkot had been selected and the district government requested to provide land so that pure drinking water could be provided to the residents of Shahdadkot and sur rounding areas, who had been consuming brackish water for a long.

Expressing concern over leakage of drain water in the Dadu and Rice canals, he said that in the end, people residing at the tail of the watercourses used the polluted water for drinking and subsequently suffered from different water-borne diseases.

To purify the water, filter plants would be set up in these areas after acquisition of land, he added. The DG asked the DCO to prepare feasibility report so that the EPA could forward it with recommendations to the government for approval of the project for which the agency would provide technical assistance.

He said that the provincial government had recommended to the federal government to ban the use of polythene bags, main cause of pollution, and introduce paper bags.