A chemical engineer living in Lahore for years, I feel sorry for my hometown, Chak 65A GD Sahiwal. There is no single household in my village not affected by hepatitis. This disease, once preventable, has become a generational curse and now afflicting even the third generation. My uncle got hepatitis which later developed into liver cancer and took his life. The reason lies in two major issues:
One, a drainage canal runs through the village, and it is uncovered. Nearby factories discharge untreated toxic waste into this canal, poisoning both water and air. The pollution is so severe that within three months, steel gates get corroded due to toxicity in the air. Women can’t wear jewelry or embroidered clothes because right after exposure to the village environment, these wearables turn black. Imagine how dangerous it would be for people breathing in that air daily.
Two, the situation is worsened by the fact that there is no filtration plant in that area. First, they are forced to inhale toxic air and then they are deprived of clean drinking water.
I request the government to address the plight of Chak 65A GD Sahiwal and other villages suffering from the same. Any philanthropists willing to at least install a filtration plant would be welcomed.
Ramsha Asif
Lahore
