KARACHI, June 30: A scientific report released on Monday said that domestic and industrial waste got mixed with water which was consumed for a considerable length of time by the residents of Muslimabad, Landhi. As a result, they fell victim to the water-borne disease gastro-enteritis recently.

The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, which had taken water samples from storage tanks in the residences of the affected people on Saturday, in its “Muslimabad Water Quality Report” revealed that coliforms and heavy metals, including Nickel, were detected in much higher concentrations than the levels recommended.

Since Friday eight deaths have been reported in the outbreak, while about 2000 people, mostly women and children, are believed to be suffering from infections.

The reason behind the deadly contamination of water, as cited by the report, is the intrusion of waste, both from domestic and industrial sources, from leaks and cracks in the pipes, and contamination at source.

While mentioning that the samples were collected after three to four days of the deaths, the EPA report said the concentration of coliforms in the water consumed by the residents might be higher than what had been detected in the laboratory. This was because water in tanks and pipes could be diluted over time with the introduction of fresh water.

Handing over a copy of the report to Dawn in his office in Korangi, the adviser to the chief minister on environment, Faisal Malik, said SEPA would soon start examining the quality of piped water at different locations in the city. The fact that a large number of people had fallen sick pointed towards the lack of awareness and information on the part of consumers as well as the utility, he added.

Mr Malik said taking stock of the water and sanitation situation in the city fell well within the jurisdiction of the EPA. “We will not only work to improve the environmental conditions in the city but will also try to develop a mechanism for coordination with the city government to monitor the quality of water and also the status of cleanliness, with special reference to solid-waste disposal,” he stated.

He said the samples were collected from water storage tanks in the houses at random. No sample could be collected from the water and sanitation department’s supply lines as they had been disconnected after the outbreak of the epidemic, the report added.

The EPA scientists, headed by Senior Scientific Officer S.M. Yahya, analysed 13 physical, chemical and microbiological parameters, including total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, pH, heavy metals and coliforms.

According to the EPA’s findings, the coliforms (bacterial contamination) were high in concentration in all samples collected from the affected area.

According to the Pakistan Drinking Water Standards, formulated in line with the WHO guidelines, coliforms should not be present in water.

The amount of coliforms in the samples, in comparison, ranged between 32 to 159 coliforms per hundred millilitres, which could be described as the main factor behind stomach infections.

The concentration of some heavy metals, including nickel, iron, cadmium, manganese and copper were found to be higher than the recommended levels. As against the WHO and Pakistani standards of 0.02 parts per million (ppm) the test showed presence of 5.1 to 44 ppm of nickel.

Since there are several factories near the affected area, the possibility of contamination due to the intrusion of industrial waste could not be ruled out. As there was no separate collection system, the industrial effluents are discharged into the sewerage lines. This could be held as a major source of heavy metals, the report suggested.

It was further observed in the report that excessive use of suction pumps by the residents could induce and enhance the intrusion of waste into the water supply system through leaks and faulty joints.

While offering suggestions, the report underscored the need for taking necessary action to stop illegal water connections as these may cause intrusion of sewerage in the pipelines. Keeping pipes for drinking water, sewage lines and channels for industrial effluents away from each other has also been suggested.

The EPA report also called for a detailed survey to monitor the large and domestic industrial units located in residential areas.