International Association Of Independent Journalists Inc.

[IAIJ]

Health concerns over the drinking water in Sialkot!



By Abid Hussain Mehdi (Pakistan)


SIALKOT, June 11: - The Sialkot health department has declared the drinking water of both of the DHQ teaching hospital namely Govt. Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot and Govt. Sardar Begum Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot as contaminated, asking the management of these hospitals to ensure the early provision of the potable drinking water facility at these hospitals for the indoor and outdoor patients and their heirs there.

Sialkot District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Javaid Warraich disclosed this while talking to the newsmen at his office here today. He said that the Sialkot health department has got examined the water samples of both of these teaching hospitals and fifteen other water filtration plants and water supplying tube wells at the union council level in Sialkot from Epidemiology Laboratory Lahore, which has declared the drinking water in both of the sad DHQ teaching hospitals as contaminated and injurious to health.

DHO revealed that, in Sialkot city, the drinking water is provided by the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) through water filtration plants and water supplying tube wells in 75 percent urban areas of Sialkot city has also been declared as contaminated by the health department, saying that the people living in 75 percent urban areas of Sialkot city including DCO Colony, Muhammadpura, Water Works, Shah Syedaan, Hajipura, Habibpura, Pura Heeraan, Rangpura, Ahmedpura, Imam Sahib, Prem Nagar and Dara Arayiaan have been drinking contaminated water.

He narrated that the health department has also got examined the water samples from Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur cities and surrounding areas, and most of these tests, the local drinking water was declared as contaminated and not fit for drinking as well.

DHO added that the provision of potable drinking water to the people in Sialkot was the prime responsibility of the Sialkot TMA.

Sialkot Health Department has strongly recommended the Sialkot TMA to ensure early provision of potable drinking water to the local inhabitants.
He said that the underground rusting water pipelines in Sialkot city have broken from various spots and were connected with the broken sewerage lines there due to which the underground water has become contaminated resulting into the rapid spread of the WBDs here.

In Sialkot, the people had been suffering from several Water Born Diseases (WBDs) due to the prolonged usage of the contaminated drinking water being supplied by the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) through the rusted pipelines, this water has already been declared contaminated and unhygienic by the public health engineering department and Sialkot health department, he added.

According to the details, in 2007, on the special directives of the then Punjab Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, the provincial public health engineering department had chalked a master plan for bringing betterment in Sialkot city decades old sanitation and drainage system, as their rectification now has become vital for changing the decades old rusting water supplying lines of Sialkot city through laying the new pipelines, besides, giving the new connections of water supply to the people in active collaboration with Sialkot TMA, earlier, their 35000 registered water supply connections in Sialkot city.

Under the said multi-phased plan, the special training had to be given to the people regarding raising the public sense to motivate people towards the using of the potable drinking water. The quality of the water would be monitored regularly through the maximum chemicals and bacterial examinations.

There was no implementation on this project despite the passage of seven consecutive years, as it could be helpful to save the local people from the WBDs. The total cost of this project was estimated Rs.160 million to Rs. 320 million was to be spent on this mega project, which had become only the solution of curbing the menace of contaminated and unhygienic water in Sialkot city by the TMA, besides, controlling the larger scale spreading of the Water Born Diseases (WBDs) in Sialkot city almost all the congested residential, commercial and industrial areas.

When contacted, the concerned officials of Sialkot TMA said that the project was still in pipeline; however, the TMA has no sufficient funds for this project.

On the other hand, the dozens of the water filtration plants still have been lying out or ordered for the last several years in Sialkot, Daska and Sambrial cities due to lacked proper look after, alleged negligence of the local TMA and Sialkot district administration, which still remain unable to allocate even a single penny for the rectification of these plants in this regard. People have been suffering from great ordeal due to non-availability of the potable drinking water there.

Local people alleged that the Sialkot district administration and concerned TMAs of Sialkot, Daska and Sambrial have turned their eyes blind, besides, putting aside the repeated public appeals for the early rectification of these out or ordered water filtration plants. About four years ago, the district government and TMAs had established these water filtration plants in Sialkot, Daska and Sambrial cities by spending millions of rupees for providing potable drinking water facilities to the local inhabitants, but these plants have been lying out of order for the last three years due to alleged proper look after.

In Sialkot city, the dozens of the water filtration plants installed congested areas Gohadpur, Pakka Garha, Naikapura, Green Wood Street, New Mianapura, Model Town, Hajipura, Sialkot Cantt, College Road, Pak Pura, Puran Nagar and Rangpura have been lying out of order.

In Daska City, the water filtration plants Muhammadpura, Jaamkey Road, College Road, Sambrial Road, Nisbat Road, Daska Bar Association Compound and Govt. College for Women Daska have also been lying out of order for the last several months. There was no alternative arrangement for providing portable drinking water to more than 4200 on roll girl students and teachers due to non-rectification of the out of ordered water filtration plant and electrical water coolers in this college.

In Sambrial, all the eight water filtration plants established by the Sialkot district government on political grounds have been lying out of ordered in Muhallah Sheraanabad, Muhallah Daak Khana, Muhallah West, Muhallah Kherat Pura and Muhallah Rasulpura of Sambrial city since long due to which the local people are forced to sue the toxic water, which has become toxic due to the chemicals being discharged by the local tanneries.

Local perturbed people said that the concerned officials of Sambrial TMA have allegedly turned their eyes blind towards this burning issue. Due to this critical situation the local inhabitants are forced to drink the toxic water.

President Thinkers Forum Daska Muhammad Jamil Sethi, President Daska Bar Association Ch. Ehsan Ullah, leader of traders Main Bazaar Daska Muhammad Ather Lone, Chairman Shehari Haqooq Committee Daska Bashir Ahmed Naz and Chairman Citizens Rights Forum Sialkot Dr. Muhammad Muneer Butt have expressed grave concern over this critical situation. They said that despite the repeated appeals made by the people, no one has ever bothered to rectify them. People are forced to drink the unhygienic water due to which they have been rapidly becoming victim of the cholera, hepatitis and other fatal diseases. The Sialkot health department has already declared the water of Sialkot and Daska cities as contaminated and injurious to health, they added.

They have urged the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Commissioner Gujranwala Division Khawaja Shamail Ahmed and Sialkot DCO Iftikhar Ali Sahu to ensure early rectification of these water filtration plants in the larger interest of the local people.

When contacted, the concerned officials of Sialkot district administration and TMAs of Sialkot, Daska and Sambrial held responsible each other for their alleged slackness, in this regard.