Naegleria: KWSB lacks ability to chlorinate water in city outskirts

KWSB says it can't chlorinate water in city outskirts, where most cases of the amoebic infection have been reported.

KARACHI:

Despite the growing threats of naegleria, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has expressed its inability to provide chlorinated water to the tail end areas of the city due to lack of infrastructure. These are the same areas where the most cases of the amoebic infection have been reported.

Speaking at a press conference, KWSB managing director Misbahuddin Farid informed that a six-member focal group has been formed to keep a check on the potential threats of naegleria and follow-up on any reported incidents of the disease.

“A mass awareness campaign will be conducted to create public awareness regarding the organism. We will work collaboratively with other civic bodies, including the health department, to ensure the right amount of chlorine is mixed in the water to make it safe for consumption,” said Farid. He informed that a naegleria monitoring cell has been established at the KWSB to test water samples obtained from the different filtration plants in the city on a daily basis.



Caretaker Health Minister, Dr Junaid Ali Shah, addressing the press conference, said that 0.1 million chlorine tablets have been acquired with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which would be used to treat the water in the entire province. He stressed that the government was taking all precautionary measures to curb the spread of the deadly organism as chances of survival after infection are almost negligible. “There is no cure as there has been very little research done on the subject,” he added.

Speaking about the cases reported thus far, Dr Shah informed said that young people are seemingly more susceptible to the disease. The first reported case of the year was that of a young boy from Korangi, who passed away a day after he contracted the disease. As many as 10 cases have been reported in the last two years, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2013.