Water for Thar: New RO plant in Mithi supplying ‘brackish water’
SHC’s relief inspecting judge forms inquiry committee after receiving complaints
A young boy in search of water in Tharparkar. PHOTO: MUKESH RAJA
HYDERABAD/MITHI:
The reverse osmosis (RO) plant recently inaugurated by Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari in Mithi is allegedly supplying brackish water.
The Rs934 million plant, claimed to be Asia's largest in terms of filtration capacity, was installed to supply water to Mithi and Islamkot talukas as well as around 100 villages located around the two towns.
After receiving complaints from the residents of the area as well as the district bar association, the Sindh High Court's relief inspecting judge, Mian Fayyaz Rabbani, formed an inquiry committee on Saturday. He directed the three-member committee, headed by district health officer Abdul Jaleel Bhurgari, to collect samples and have them tested by a laboratory.
Rabbani, who visited the RO plant and spoke to its operators, has also summoned the plant officials and the taluka municipal officer on Monday.
Irshad, a Pak Oasis officer, blamed the town municipal authorities (TMAS) for mixing brackish water into the filtered water and supplying it to the towns. "The water from our plant is supplied to Mithi and Islamkot through the two TMAs," he said. "The water is being polluted at their end."
The capacity of the hybrid solar desalination plant, which was inaugurated by Zardari on January 7, is two million gallons per day.
The Sindh government is investing over Rs5 billion to install 750 RO plants across the desert region. According to spokesperson from Pak Oasis, the company that is building the plants, at least 150 of these plants have been made operational while the remaining 600 plants will be completed by June 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2rd, 2015.
The reverse osmosis (RO) plant recently inaugurated by Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari in Mithi is allegedly supplying brackish water.
The Rs934 million plant, claimed to be Asia's largest in terms of filtration capacity, was installed to supply water to Mithi and Islamkot talukas as well as around 100 villages located around the two towns.
After receiving complaints from the residents of the area as well as the district bar association, the Sindh High Court's relief inspecting judge, Mian Fayyaz Rabbani, formed an inquiry committee on Saturday. He directed the three-member committee, headed by district health officer Abdul Jaleel Bhurgari, to collect samples and have them tested by a laboratory.
Rabbani, who visited the RO plant and spoke to its operators, has also summoned the plant officials and the taluka municipal officer on Monday.
Irshad, a Pak Oasis officer, blamed the town municipal authorities (TMAS) for mixing brackish water into the filtered water and supplying it to the towns. "The water from our plant is supplied to Mithi and Islamkot through the two TMAs," he said. "The water is being polluted at their end."
The capacity of the hybrid solar desalination plant, which was inaugurated by Zardari on January 7, is two million gallons per day.
The Sindh government is investing over Rs5 billion to install 750 RO plants across the desert region. According to spokesperson from Pak Oasis, the company that is building the plants, at least 150 of these plants have been made operational while the remaining 600 plants will be completed by June 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2rd, 2015.