Toxic water in 29 major cities of Pakistan, NA told
August 10, 2021
- Government detects toxic water in 29 major Pakistan cities.
- Federal minister Shibli Faraz informs National Assembly of results of underground water samples taken by Pakistan Council of Research of Water Resources.
- Says water became a provincial matter after passage of 18th Amendment in Constitution.
The government has detected toxic water in 29 major cities of Pakistan, which can lead to serious diseases, including cancer, Geo News reported Tuesday.
This was disclosed in a written reply submitted to the National Assembly by the Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz on Monday. The reply was in response to a question asked by PPP's Mussarat Rafiq Mahesar.
The documents state that the water contaminated with arsenic, iron, fluoride and bacteria is causing skin damage.
The National Assembly was informed that according to the results of underground water samples taken by Pakistan Council of Research of Water Resources (PSCRWR), an institution of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the water of 29 major cities of the country is polluted and harmful for health.
Read more: Gallup Pakistan survey reveals 91% of respondents worried about Karachi's sanitation situation
The water of Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Gilgit-Baltistan is 100% unsafe.
The contamination of water in Multan was 94%, Karachi 93%, Badin 92%, Bahawalpur 76%, Sargodha 83%, Hyderabad 80%, Muzaffarabad 70% and Sukkur 67%, according to the PSCRWR.
The House was told that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have done a lot of work on the issue of drinking water and that all provinces should pass laws on the issue of drinking water beyond politics.
Read more: MNAs being provided unsafe drinking water: report
According to report by Dawn, when Faraz was asked for an explanation on what steps the federal government had taken to provide safe drinking water to the citizens, the minister said water was a provincial matter after the passage of the 18th Amendment in Constitution.
The job of his ministry, Faraz was reported as saying, was only to carry out tests of water through the PCRWR. He said the periodic water quality monitoring reports of the PCRWR were published and shared with the provincial and local governments for undertaking improvement measures at their end, the publication reported.
