ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: Water contaminated with arsenic, nitrate and fluoride to an alarming level is being supplied to southern Punjab, central Sindh and other parts of the country , according to tests conducted by the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The data made available to Dawn showed that water highly contaminated with fluoride was being supplied to Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Mirpurkhas, Karachi, Loralai, Mastung, Quetta, Ziarat and Peshawar.

The tests conducted on the water samples collected from the southern Punjab and central Sindh have found arsenic contamination to a dangerous proportion.

The areas where the arsenic contamination was high included Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Khairpur Mirs, Nawabshah, Tharparkar and Dadu.

Nitrate contamination was found in the water samples collected from Peshawar, Jhelum, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Loralai, Mastung, Ziarat, Mirpur and Karachi.

When contacted, PCRWR Director Mohammad Aslam Tahir said tests conducted by the council for determining various impurities in water in various parts of the country had presented a very dismal picture. There was a great need for creating awareness not only among the masses but also in all the departments concerned to check the situation, he said.

In reply to a question, he said arsenic contamination was responsible for a number of diseases including cancer (lungs, bladder, skin, prostrate, kidney, nose and liver), diabetes, kidney diseases, hypertension, heart diseases, birth defects and black foot disease.

Fluoride contamination generated dental diseases; skeletal and crippling fluorosis, he added.

Diseases like blue baby syndrome, bladder cancer, goitre, birth defects and diabetes were caused by nitrates.

The ratio of diseases caused by fluoride, arsenic and nitrate was very alarming in the affected areas, he observed.

In reply to another question regarding various initiatives taken by the government to counter the situation, Mr Tahir said the major safe drinking water initiatives included the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme, Water Quality Monitoring in Rural Areas, Arsenic Monitoring and Mitigation Project and the Devolution Support Programme under which water quality monitoring and testing facilities would be provided in 107 districts.

About water contamination in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, he said the mixing of sewage with water was the main reason for the supply of unsafe water to the residents. The water supply lines in Rawalpindi were not efficient and suffered from extensive leakages, he added.

The authorities concerned took very little interest in designing water supply lines in various cities, including Rawalpindi, and the required distance was not kept between the water supply lines and sewers due to which sewage mixed with water.

Mr Tahir said untreated disposal of industrial effluent and hospital waste was another reason for water contamination. Improper disposal of solid waste and excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides also contributed to water pollution, he said.