Use of effluent for vegetable cultivation continues

70% of all produce is being grown using water from Hudiara Drain

LAHORE: Water contaminated with sewage is still being used for cultivating vegetables in Lahore and its adjacent areas. Approximately 70% of all vegetables being supplied to the provincial capital are being grown using the water from Hudiara Drain.

These vegetables are then sold in open markets in Kahna and Badami Bagh areas of the provincial capital. Earlier, the Punjab Food Authority had initiated a crackdown on the use of polluted water for growing vegetables. However, the practice still remains rampant in some areas.

In developed parts of the world, the contaminated water from sewerage and factories is made fit for human consumption with the help of water treatment plants. However, in Pakistan where there is no such system in place, the water from Hudiara Drain is used for irrigation purposes as it is.

There are dozens of villages located around the 54 kilometre drain where crops are cultivated on hundreds of acres. Majority of the farmers use water from the drain, contaminated with the waste from factories and sewerage, for irrigation purposes.

A resident of Hadiara village said that the farmers have been using water from the drain for irrigation for several years. Vegetables and crops grow markedly faster as a consequence of using water from the drain. He revealed that they have installed small tube wells and motorised pumps which draw water from the drain.

On the other hand, Rana Yasin, a resident of Barki village said that they are well aware of the fact that using water from the drain for irrigation is banned by the law. But they claim that they have no other option.

“The groundwater level is very low. As a result, it is difficult and expensive for us to installs tube wells,” he explained. Villages bordering the provincial capital are provided water from BRB Canal. However, this facility is extended to a few hundred farmers, he said.

The use of contaminated water for irrigation purposes was banned by the government in 2009. Moreover, the Punjab Food Authority has also initiated action against the practice during the past few years. Despite this, vegetables still continue to be grown with the polluted water and are supplied to some of the biggest markets in Lahore.

According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 26% of the vegetables grown in the country are cultivated using untreated water. As a result, farmers cut down on fertiliser and transportation costs which lower the price of the produces. However, the practice has adverse effects on human health.

Research claims that merely standing knee deep in such water is injurious to health. Reportedly, people living in close proximity to such drains have contracted various skin and eye infections.

Punjab Agriculture Department Director Dr Anjum Ali Batar stated that using polluted water to grow vegetable is a dangerous practice.

He maintained that the department had carried out an awareness campaign in order to educate farmers.

“Chemicals from the polluted water are continuously absorbed into the land which can cause it to harden over time and can seep into the groundwater. It also affects the fertility of the soil,” he explained.

Punjab Food Authority Director General Muhammad Usman stated that during operations, food safety teams destroyed vegetables on hundreds of acres and such crackdowns are still under way. But awareness needs to be created among farmers in this regard, he said. He urged citizens to report areas cultivating vegetables using polluted water.

But weeding out the practice will remain a challenge until farmers are provided with better alternatives. Mohammad Bashir, a middleman from Badami Bagh vegetables market, said that most of the green vegetables in Lahore are grown using water from Hudiara Drain.

The price of these vegetables are at least 40% to 50% lesser than the price of produce which is brought in from other cities, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2019.