ISLAMABAD:
Providing clean water to the public is no less than a challenge for the federal and provincial governments. The citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are forced to drink dirty and contaminated water.
The shortage of clean drinking water has allowed the tanker mafia to rob people for a life essentiality. At the same time, water bills have also been increased by CDARDA and Cantonment Boards. In any case, the water available in the twin cities through the various sources is known to be contaminated. According to a report, the water in the Rawal Dam is dirty and contaminated to the extent that is harmful to human health.
Polluted water is a hazard not only for humans but also for animals and plants. According to an estimate, 85 per cent of Pakistan’s population is deprived of clean drinking water. Whether it is tap water in homes, tube wells, filtration plants or bottled water, most accessible sources are hazardous for health.
Water also becomes polluted due to the combination of underground sewer lines and clean water pipelines. At the same time Pakistan’s rivers, canals, canals, rivers, lakes and seas are also becoming increasingly toxic as modern industries contribute to polluting them. Due to the lack of clean water and a proper drainage system in Pakistan, diseases are increasing. Every year, hundreds of people fall victim to typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A and E due to drinking contaminated water.
According to a conservative estimate, one and a half percent of the country’s economy is currently being spent on treating water-borne diseases in hospitals. Along with beneficial elements such as calcium, salts, minerals, fluoride and iron, water also contains harmful elements such as arsenic. In the modern world, water testing is necessary to detect the presence of beneficial and harmful elements before it is too late, however this is not the case here.
The World Bank places Pakistan third on the list of countries around the world that are facing water shortages. UNDP and Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources predict that Pakistan will face water scarcity by 2028. Researchers also say that if the situation remains the same and no steps are taken, Pakistan will become the most water-scarce country in South Asia by 2040. This data and research have been highlighted repeatedly. In 2016, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources had said in its report that Pakistan had reached the water stress line in 1990 and crossed the water scarcity line in 2005.
Several reasons are given for water scarcity in Pakistan. The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has cited rapid population growth, lack of water storage and indiscriminate use of groundwater as among them. Pakistan has an average water storage capacity of nine per cent in three major dams, while the worldwide average is 40 per cent.
