Question in NA on tap water purity given answers on supply, bottled water purity. PHOTO: FILE
The scarcity of clean drinking water in the federal capital has set alarms bells ringing, and the response given by the government when the issue came up in parliament on Tuesday gave the impression that it has done nothing in this respect.
A perturb member from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) moved a motion in the National Assembly seeking a discussion on the adverse effects on health that the unavailability of clean drinking water in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is having on its residents. While the government did provide an answer, the content of that answer stumped everyone with its irrelevance.
Instead of sharing details of the steps taken to provide clean drinking water to ICT residents, the government narrated what it has done to improve the quality of bottled water.
“The answer is entirely irrelevant,” Munaza Hassan from the PTI said while talking to The Express Tribune as she complained about not being given the opportunity to counter-question the government’s reply.
Hassan has asked the government to elaborate on the steps it has taken to provide clean drinking water to the residents of ICT, as she referred to a Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) report on the issue.
According to the report, she said that “ICT water had 100 percent bacteriological contamination, 59 percent nitrate, 100 percent arsenic and 150 percent arsenic fluoride” of the acceptable levels.
The water also contain high levels of nitrate and lead and is not at all safe for drinking, she added.
Hassan said that the use of such contaminated water would give birth to diseases which would further increase health issues. Referring to improved water quality as a preemptive measure, she pointed out that the government does not have the resources to cater to the health issues of the masses.
“Mere filtration plants and supply through water tankers is not a solution to this issue,” she added.
Responding to a question, she said “the [government] are not looking for a solution.”
Interestingly, two ministers responded, and both went off topic, as one talked about the supply issue, whereas the other discussed the quality of bottled water.
State Minister for Interior Balighur Rehman said there were several new schemes including Khanpur Dam, Simli Dam, Chirah Dam and Ghazi Bharota to supply ICT.
In rural areas, Rehman said there were 65 schemes, of which a Rs270 million plan to install 12 new tube wells would start operating soon.
Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid referred to an answer submitted in the NA the other day, and said Hassan’s question has already been answered.
According to a written answer given by the minister, Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has prescribed Pakistan Standards Specifications for bottled drinking water in 2004 and natural mineral water in 2010.
It is a fact that many samples of bottled drinking water tested by PSQCA and PCRWR have been found not to conform to the Pakistan Standards, it added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ