Toxicity in water reservoir imperils public health

The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels in the largest water reservoir on Jamshoro Road, managed by the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (WASA), have been steadily increasing, raising concerns about the quality of drinking water supplied to the second biggest urban centre of Sindh.

The executive engineer of WASA's Treatment Division has written letters to the corporation's CEO and the executive engineer of the Kotri Barrage Division, Provincial Irrigation Department, urging immediate attention to the issue.

According to a report from the Assistant Executive Engineer of NTP Water Supply Treatment Sub-Division, on Wednesday, an assistant chemist at the New Filter Plant detected a rise in the TDS levels, which reached 684 mg/L in the river water.

The chemist raised concerns that these levels could continue to increase. A large volume of water being released from Manchar Lake into the Indus River is suspected to be contributing to the elevated TDS levels, leading to fears that the quality of the water supply could deteriorate further.

In response to the rising TDS levels, the WASA officials are calling for immediate measures to mitigate the impact and protect public health. The increasing TDS levels could have serious health consequences, making it crucial to take prompt action to address the issue.

Meanwhile, at Kotri Barrage on Wednesday, water inflow from upstream was recorded at 4,930 cusecs, while the outflow was reported as zero. Additionally, only 40 cusecs of water were being discharged from Manchar Lake into the Indus River, where the water level stood at 111.70 RL. TDS levels at Aral Wah and AD Baloch were recorded at 242 mg/L and 210 mg/L, respectively. A detailed report regarding the situation has been submitted to the commissioner of Hyderabad.

Water technologist Dr Ahsan Siddiqui told The Express Tribune that the increase in TDS levels cannot be attributed to the water discharged from Manchar Lake, as only a small amount is being released. Instead, the larger volume of water released from Sukkur to Kotri is believed to be the primary cause of the issue. Dr Siddiqui added that the water released from Matiari could pose a risk to the residents of Hyderabad due to its high TDS content, which contains effluents from nearby sugar mills.

The provincial chief secretary has been informed of the problem and has directed the managing directorof WASA to take immediate action.