Substandard water imperils public health

For dehydrated locals panting under the hot sun, the sight of a cool water vendor is a mirage in a desert irrespective of whether or not the water being sold is safe for consumption however, as the arrival of summers brings with it an increase in the number of substandard water suppliers in the provincial capital, thirsty citizens will have to think twice before they gulp down a bottle of water.

One such local was Khalid, a local at the Liberty Market, who purchased a substandard water bottle thinking that it was mineral water. “The temperature has reached 39 degrees Celsius, and the hot weather makes us feel very thirsty. Therefore, I purchased a small bottle of water for Rs40 but soon I realized that the bottle had an unknown labeling. We face a similar issue when we visit the Lari Adda and other bus stations, where poor quality water is being sold under the guise of bottled water. Since passengers are in a hurry they do not realize that they have purchased fake, unapproved bottled water,” said Khalid, who urged the government to ensure the abundant availability of clean drinking water by increasing the number of government filtration plants so that people do not have to purchase water from unreliable sources.

Speaking of water from unreliable sources, sellers supplying impure bottled water are not the only groups imperiling public health since a large number of unregistered filtration plants too have started gaining popularity among locals, who cannot afford to pay up to Rs400 for a single 19 liter bottle of mineral water. Therefore, they simply choose to refill a 19 liter bottle from the nearest filtration plant for Rs50 to Rs100.

Unfortunately, the so-called filtered water sold at these plants is in violation of the rules and regulations stipulated by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) since the filters of most plants are not replaced on a regular basis, while others are functioning with rusty or dirty equipment. Moreover, no SOPs are followed during the refilling of the bottles, which are handled with ungloved and unsanitized hands. Furthermore, sewerage water is mixed with the WASA water lines due to leakage while the polio virus has also been detected in the city’s water supply.

According to sources of the Express Tribune, 44 per cent of water filtration plants sampled by the Punjab Food Authority have been declared substandard, creating an alarming situation in Lahore, which has become a hotbed for water-borne illnesses.

“Substandard drinking water is the primary instigator of stomach ailments during summers. Even though the new water filtration plants installed by the government are connected to modern automatic systems and are hence safe for three years, private water filtration plants are purely spreading diseases,” warned Dr Rizwan Tahir, a medical professional.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, an officer from the Punjab Food Authority said, “We regularly examine sample from filtration plants in the city and those which fail are closed down. During the recent checking campaign, samples were obtained from 1652 private water filtration plants across Punjab, out of which 620 failed while 821 passed. The government has registered 2497 private plants, but a large number of unregistered plants are also selling water.”