No trace of chlorine was found in the water being supplied to North Nazimabad and North Karachi after a team of experts and doctors from the office of Karachi director health and the provincial health department on Saturday visited pumping stations to check if chlorination of water was being carried out by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.
A 30-year old man from Sector 11 of North Karachi had died due to infection caused by the dreaded microorganism Naegleria folweri, compelling health officials to visit the area and take water samples for checking them for chlorine.
Chlorine is added to water all over the world to kill pathogens, harmful bacteria and even the Naegleria fowleri, which can cause serious infections including diarrhea and infection of the central nervous system.
“No trace of chlorine was found at any of the four pumping stations of North Karachi and adjoining areas,” said Dr Zafar Mehdi, focal person for the Naegleria fowleri monitoring committee. He urged people to take precautionary measures themselves, use common bleach to disinfect water they use for household purposes and clean their underground and overhead tanks regularly to prevent themselves from the threat of Naegleria fowleri infection.