Commercial waste pollutes water bodies in K-P

Tourists planning a vacation to the northern areas try hard to locate a hotel with the perfect proximity to the nearest river or nearby mountains. However, the demand for picturesque views has come at the cost of the purity of water bodies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Rafiq Lala, the head of a family that has lived in Mingora for the past 40 years, told The Express Tribune that during summers, local and foreign tourists would prefer to sit beside the river, lakes, and beautiful mountains to enjoy fresh fish from the Swat River. “However, due to the rapid construction of hotels, encroachments along the riverbanks, and the discharge of sewage from hundreds of hotels into the river at various points, the river’s water has become polluted and unfit for consumption,” observed Rafiq.

Zehra, a tourist who has been visiting the Kalam and Swat valleys since the past 13 years shared the changes she observed in the purity of the water of the Swat River. “Within a short period, the river's water has not only changed in colour but fish are no longer visible in it. I recall fishing in Kalam a few years ago, but now, seeing the current condition of the river deeply saddens me,” said Zehra.

Around two years ago, a research study involving environmental experts from five universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including the University of Peshawar, found that samples from river water, fish, human hair, and nails were tested for methylmercury levels. Samples collected from Upper and Lower Swat showed methylmercury levels 6 per cent higher than the WHO-recommended limits. The presence of methylmercury in the river water, its transfer to fish, and the eventual consumption of this water and fish by humans are leading to various health issues.

Mohammad Rafiq, former Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar revealed that the permissible level of methylmercury in fish or the human body should be one micro cubic meter, but the research revealed levels far above normal which is causing serious health effects such as organ damage, typhoid in children, and gastrointestinal diseases. “The sources of toxic chemicals in the Swat River include riverside constructions, use of cleaning chemicals in restrooms, and concrete particles mixing into the water, making it unfit and dangerous for use,” noted Rafiq.

According to information obtained by The Express Tribune from the K-P Irrigation Department, there are about 1,600 hotels in Swat Valley and around 300 in Kalam Valley. The Swat River flows approximately 240 kilometers from Kalam Bazaar to Charsadda. Across several locations including Kalam, Mingora, Madain, Bahrain, Matiltan, Usho, Fizagat, and Khwazakhela, more than 200 hotels are directly responsible for polluting the river by dumping chemically contaminated wastewater and disposing of plastic and other solid waste into the river. However, over the past five to eight years, no major action has been taken against those polluting the Swat River.

“Within just the past one and a half months, 160 hotels involved in polluting the river have been issued notices, 15 hotels were sealed and fined, and 40 were given warnings. Under the River Protection Act, no construction is allowed within 200 feet of the riverbanks. However, demolishing existing buildings is a legal challenge, as court cases have been filed,” said Commissioner Swat, Abid Wazir. while speaking of the K-P River Protection Act, the implementation of which would require demolishing approximately 80 percent of existing buildings and hotels from Kalam to Chakdara. 

K-P Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah stated that a temporary ban on new construction at tourist sites had been imposed. “All previously issued NOCs for construction in these areas have also been cancelled. A master plan is under consideration to tackle encroachments and poor drainage at tourist sites,” said Shah.