Unsafe water being supplied in Hyderabad, says Sepa report

HYDERABAD: A recent report by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has declared that water being supplied by many filtration plants to Hyderabad residents is unsafe for human consumption, raising serious public health concerns.

According to the report, a majority of these filtration plants are providing untreated, raw and unchlorinated water to citizens, which could cause spread of waterborne diseases as well as poliovirus.

This alarming disclosure came at a time when Hyderabad has already reported a polio case in August 2025, with sewage samples consistently testing positive for the virus. The city has also previously witnessed the spread of typhoid superbug.

The report underlines that chlorination is the key preventive measure against waterborne infections. However, the absence of chlorination at most plants presented an extremely dangerous situation for Hyderabad’s residents.

Out of six major filtration plants tested, four failed to meet the national safety standards for drinking water. The findings by Sepa indicate that the Hyderabad Water & Sewerage Corporation (HWSC) has been supplying unfiltered and untreated water to most parts of the city.

The report states that HWSC officials informed Sepa teams that chlorine was not available at the filtration facilities. It states that there is no effective mechanism in place to ensure provision of clean and filtered drinking water to the citizens who depend on these facilities.

The report urges the HWSC management to take immediate measures to ensure clean and chlorinated water supply. When contacted regarding the report, SEPA Laboratory Incharge and Deputy Director Abdul Rauf declined to share details with The News, stating that the report was issued by SEPA Hyderabad’s Technical Director and Incharge Imran Ali Abbasi.

“The report does not bear my signature but that of Imran Abbasi,” he said. Later, The News contacted Abbasi who confirmed that four out of six filtration plants were found without chlorine treatment. We have communicated to HWSC officials to ensure chlorination in water supplied to citizens, he said.

He further revealed that the Hyderabad laboratory of Sepa could test only a few of the 32 mandatory parameters required for drinking water analysis, and water samples from Hyderabad had to be sent to Karachi to find out about the rest of the parameters.

Sepa sources disclosed that although staff is present at its Hyderabad laboratory, lack of funds has rendered the facility ineffective. The inactive state of the Sepa Hyderabad laboratory constitutes a violation of the Water Commission’s directives and the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014.

When approached for comments on Sepa report’s findings, Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zain-ul-Abideen Memon said he did not know why and how Sepa had made such claims. “They are in a better position to explain this.”