THATTA: Disposal of contaminated water, Industrial waste, chemicals and other effluents into Kotrib Barrage and Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder is posing a serious threat to the health of the people drawing water from the sources, the tributaries originating from them and the reservoirs they fill.

Water is routinely released into KB Feeder and its tributaries, feeding Tha­tta and several other areas, after 20-day annual closure/rotation. About one-and-a-half year back, effluents had made their way into the tributaries from the KB Feeder with the release of water and played havoc with fish stocks, flora and fauna, besides turning the water unfit for human and animal consumption.

This time again, effluents mixed up with water upon its release from the feeder after a 20-day suspension in supplies.

Environmentalists, social workers and media personnel from Thatta on Thursday informed Kotri Barrage chief engineer and KB Feeder executive engineer about the situation and sought their comments on the situation. The officials held out the assurance that the matter would be looked into and appropriate measures would be taken promptly to check discharge of effluents into water bodies.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum leader Syed Ghulab Shah and Mallah Ittehad president Dada Adam Gandhro also expressed their concern over the situation and attributed it to gross negligence on the part of irrigation, environment and industries departments. They said that the entire water supply system in Thatta district was crumbling, and urged the authorities concerned to take immediate corrective steps to save people’s lives and environment.

Sources say that industrial waste, che­m­icals and other effluents are disposed of into reservoirs and water channels by industrial units in Kotri and SITE areas without any mechanism to check the activity having been in place.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2022