ISLAMABAD, March 22: Some 75 per cent drinking water being supplied to the Capital and 87 per cent to Rawalpindi is unfit for human consumption due to bacterial contamination, a study conducted by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) revealed.
According to sources in the district administrations of the twin cities, the quality of water being supplied to the citizens was not according to international standard.
As per international standard, the requirement of water per capita is 40 gallon per day, but in Islamabad it is around 10 gallon per day, and in Rawalpindi, not more that five gallon per day.
The twin cities’ residents experience acute shortage of water in summer and most of the localities do not get any supply for three to four months, forcing local population to fetch water from other areas.
The study said most of the water samples taken from different supply sources, except for the ones obtained from Simly Dam in Islamabad and Chitti Tanki in Rawalpindi, were found unfit for human consumption in respect of colour, odour and taste.
The samples collected from Noorpur Shahan, the first distribution point after treatment from the Simly Dam, and the CDA’s seven million gallon reservoir, were found free of bacterial contamination. This showed that the problem might be within the distribution system due to intermittent supply, leakage of pipelines, mixing of sewage with fresh water supply, and contaminated cisterns in the houses.
Talking to Dawn, a PCRWR official said the CDA and the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Rawalpindi, had been advised to meet effective water treatment requirement and regularly use chlorine for the purpose.
He advised people not to use lead or plastic pipes, having lead contents, and avoid using sub-standard chemicals in water treatment. He recommended that no new water supply scheme should be approved unless detailed survey and research of water quality, quantity and its sustainability had been carried out.
The PCRWR study urged the people to periodically clean all domestic underground and overhead tanks in their houses. It also called for encouraging the use of lead-free gasoline for vehicles, particularly in areas like Islamabad and Rawalpindi, to keep drinking water stored in open reservoirs from getting contaminated by lead deposits in the atmosphere.
The study is a part of the national water quality monitoring programme, covering 21 cities in all the provinces. The donor agencies have shown interest in expanding the programme to rural areas where majority of the population lives.
The cities where the programme has been launched include Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujrat, Lahore, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Kasur, Bahawalpur, Multan, Hyderabad, Karachi, Sukkur, Quetta, Loralai, Ziarat, Mardan and Mangora.