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Pakistan sans water on World Water Day
ISLAMABAD: Like other parts of the globe, World Water Day is being observed in Pakistan today in order to highlight importance of water, which is the lifeline for people living in a water-deficient country like Pakistan.The theme of World Water Day 2010 is water quality. An estimated 1.1 billion people rely on unsafe drinking-water sources globally. Therefore, the theme of World Water Day 2010 is focusing on raising awareness against water quality under the theme “Clean Water for a Healthy World”.
Pakistan, which is reeling under a chronic shortage of water, also has to face growing menace of polluted water. Challenges relating to deteriorating quantity and quality of water are interconnected as scarcity of water leads to its contamination.
Waterborne diseases have been on rise in the country these days. Provision of clean drinking water is still a dream for millions of Pakistanis.Unfortunately, water sources are increasingly being contaminated and there is no proper mechanism exits whereby poor people could get clean water.
According to Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, there are 42 companies selling water among which samples of 26 are safe whereas 16 are substandard. Another report revealed that many cities of Pakistan including federal capital and Balochistan consuming polluted potable water.
In Punjab, 81%, NWFP 82% and 85% water in Sindh is not potable water. Health experts said polluted water is the major cause of increase in death ratio.
Under clean drinking water for all initiative, provision of potable water through purification plants could safeguard human health, including reduction in the mortality rate, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
Courtesy www.Geo.tv