More than 30-year-old sewerage system coupled with dearth of clean drinking water offered in the city, which is blessed with adequate water resources, is causing water-borne diseases among its residents.
The worse off is the lower strata of society having little access to basic necessities of life. Growing urbanization followed by unsustainable water consumption practices affects the quality and quantity of water resources in the country, it’s learnt.
Contamination of lakes, rivers, and groundwater aquifers damage the body’s immune system. Salinity of groundwater is found to be increasing with the passage of time. Industrial wastewater polluted with toxic chemicals and heavy metals is discharged directly into public sewers, resulting into outbreaks of diseases like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and dengue fever.
Those who can afford either install mini-water-filtration system or buy water at their homes from commercial companies. A 10-liter water cane, which costs nearly Rs110, is used through a water dispenser worth Rs20,000 approximately, and it has become the need of every home by and large.
“A large bottle filled with the said water quantity lasts a week in the current winter season while ends in two days at the most during the summer,” said a woman.
Filtration system fitted inside home also gets changed on weekly basis which costs around Rs500.
“But it doesn’t guarantee that the water being produced through the filtration system fitted inside the home is pure following its short capacity to clean the water,” said Kashan and Zainul Abidin.
According to a book titled “Sustainable Social, Economic and Environmental Revitalization in Multan City: A Multidisciplinary Italian-Pakistani Project”, the Chenab River is the mainstream of the area as well as the main source of surface water and groundwater recharge in the historic core of Multan city.
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“Contamination of water supply has become a critical issue in the city, since the majority of households use their own wells. Concerning sewerage, the municipal facility is serving at present 55% of the population. Only one treatment plant is currently available in north of town. Sewers are currently overexploited, with chronic overflowing, arising from the combined effects of low capacity, silting, and inadequate control of industrial wastewater.”
In February 2020, the district health department had set up a five-day hepatitis screening camp in the city during which it was revealed that 2,140 people were suffering from hepatitis, around 1,934 people were tested positive for hepatitis C and 206 for hepatitis B. A total of 3,435 people were tested at the District Headquarters Hospital and of them 277 were tested positive for hepatitis C and 56 for hepatitis B. Further, 2,837 people were screened at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Shujabad, and of them 1,235 were tested positive for hepatitis C and 113 for hepatitis B.
As many as 2,288 people were screened at Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Jalalpur Pirwala, and of them 422 and 37 were tested positive for hepatitis C and B respectively.
According to the record received under the Right To Information law, two mega schemes comprising replacement of old underground water supply lines and installation of network of new pipelines at urban places like Muzaffarabad, some areas of old Shujabad, Khar Pur, Basti Khawaja Gharib Nawaz and Vehari Road etc. worth Rs1000 million are underway. Following this, overhead reservoirs and tube-wells are proposed to be constructed in the next few days at targeted points as part of the schemes.
Punjab Minister for Energy Dr. Akhtar Malik said in this regard that the major problem of the city was drainage and provision of clean water supply.
He said that a record amount of development funds of Rs190 billion have been allocated during the current fiscal year. He termed provision of basic services to the people on their doorsteps top priority of the government.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2021.
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