HYDERABAD: Speakers at an awareness workshop on ‘Recycling and waste material management’ warned consumers against the serious health hazards related to bottled soft drinks and meals at hotels, restaurants, eateries, etc.

Calling for ensuring a neat and clean environment, they stressed that consuming hygienic food was the best way to avoid diseases in society.

The workshop was organised by Sindh University’s Syed Panah Ali Shah Model School in Jamshoro with the collaboration of Pak-US Alumni Network (PUAN) on Friday.

Prof Ali Murtaza Dharejo told the audience that tea and bottled soft drinks were as harmful as poison if they were not hygienically packed in clean bottles or cans. He said that paper, plastic or some other safe material could be used for packing such things but plastic shopping bags must be avoided. He also advised people to drink boiled water if they did not have easy access to a filter plant.

Strongly recommending home-cooked food to stay healthy, Prof Dharejo said meals outdoors should be avoided as there was a risk of contracting diseases or infections as one never know the food made at hotels, restaurants or other eateries was cooked properly and hygienically or not.

He observed that cooks at most such places were often found sweating and infecting the food they were handling. How could this food be hygienic or safe? he argued. Jamshoro PUAN president Prof Akbar Mahesar said disposal of filth in streets and lanes was responsible for outbreak of diseases. He stressed the need for keeping the environment clean to avoid them.

He also advised people not to have pakoras, samosas and other snacks prepared at roadside outlets mostly in extremely unhygienic ways and conditions.

PAUN’s Fahim Noonari, principal of the host school Farida Shaikh, Nasir Ali Panhwar, Abdul Khaliq Magsi and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 30th , 2014