69% sources supplying unsafe drinking water in major cities

Islamabad :Overall water quality results of water resources located in 25 selected cities in the country shows that only 31 per cent of sources are safe for drinking whereas 69 per cent are supplying unsafe drinking water when compared with National Standards for Drinking Water Quality.

As per data shared by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) on Tuesday, 25 major cities including Islamabad, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Mangora, Abbottabad, Mardan, Peshawar, Loralai, Quetta, Ziarat, Hyderabad, Karachi, Sukkur, Muzafarabad, Gilgit and Badin were selected for monitoring purpose in 2015-2016.

Out of 369 selected sources in these cities, 114 (31 per cent) were found safe whereas 255 (69 per cent) sources were supplying unsafe drinking water when compared with National Standards for Drinking Water Quality. The study shows that most of the samples (57 per cent) monitored were microbiologically contaminated. The other contaminations included arsenic (6 per cent), turbidity (8 per cent), chloride (15 per cent), nitrate (6 per cent), TDS (11 per cent), hardness (6 per cent) and iron (10 per cent).

The study was conducted under National Water Quality Monitoring Program (NWQMP) initiated by PCRWR in 2002.  It was the premier project which generated the first detailed water quality profile of the country covering 23 major cities including Islamabad, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Mangora, Abbottabad, Mardan, Peshawar, Khuzdar, Loralai, Quetta, Ziarat, Hyderabad, Karachi and Sukkur.

The analytical data collected during NWQMP 2002-2006 showed that 84 percent water samples were contaminated. There were four major water quality tribulations in the country i.e. Bacterial (69 per cent), Arsenic (24 per cent), Nitrate (14 per cent) and Fluoride (5 per cent). The analytical findings were compared with World Health Organization standards.

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Target 6.1), Pakistan has to reach up to the provision of 100 per cent safe drinking water by 2030. It is obvious from the results of present monitoring 2015-16, that during last 10 years there was about 10 per cent improvement in provision of safe water.

The PCRWR hopes that if the pace for improvement in the drinking water quality remains the same then up to 2030 Pakistan would be able to reach to 53 per cent instead of 100 per cent safe drinking water which means pace of improvement to be three times more than the present. This requires substantial investment in infrastructural and human resources by the provincial governments as after 18th amendment the provision of water falls in the purview of provinces.