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Sewerage & Water Supply News Articles
Master plan for water, sewerage in Katchi Abadis in the offing RS.4.4m SEWERAGE LINE LAYING PROJECT INAUGURATED IN SADDER TOWN
Master plan for water, sewerage in Katchi Abadis in the offing A survey has been started for preparation of a complete master plan for sewerage and supply of water in Katchi Abadis. City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said this while addressing Nazims and Naib Nazims of Union Councils during a visit to SITE Town on Wednesday. Naimatullah said survey in respect of water supply was complete while survey about sewerage was in progress. He said separate master plan was being prepared for each Katchi Abadi, whereafter these areas would be brought under the control of Water Board. The City Nazim was accompanied by the DCO Karachi Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha, MD KWSB Behram Khan, elected representatives and officials of city government. Naimat said complaints of the citizens against water board were not without reason. Water problems assume greater importance during summer, therefore, the KWSB should enforce emergency in the board, he said, adding, inquiries into illegal connections to factories and cattle pens would be made if elected representatives pinpointed them. Water board would disconnect such illegal water connections and supply the water to citizens. The Nazim said separate spaces were allocated for cattle pens and factories and these should not operate in residential localities. He pointed out that tax revenue of the KWSB from SITE Town was just three per cent and pointed out that situation in other Towns was also the same. He said govt organisations could not be run with only three per cent recoveries. The City Nazim mentioned that the KWSB needed money to manage its affairs and the Town and Union Nazims should set up camps in their areas and recover the outstanding dues. He directed the KWSB officials to maintain close liaison with elected representatives. The DCO Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha said the areas where people try to solve their water problems on self-help basis not affecting water supply should be given priority. The MD KWSB, Brig Behram Khan, said the KWSB was an organisation of elected representatives of the city and was attempting to overcome its deficieincies in consultation with elected representatives. He said the KWSB would take action against officials and employees showing negligience in solving problems of the people. He pointed out that system for water supply had been worked out in consultation with Town Nazims. Nazim SITE Town Amir Nawab said water quota of residential areas of the Town suffered due to supply to marble factories, which had been provided illegal connections. He said elected representatives were always prepared to identify such connections. Nazims and Naib Nazims of nine UCs of the Town highlighted water-related problems and gave suggestions for their solution. KHUDA KI BASTI: The City government would establish a dispensary in 'Khuda Ki Basti' housing scheme in Karachi while work would soon start on opening of a govt school where children would get free education, uniform and books besides stipends to deserved ones. City Nazim announced this during a visit to 'Khuda Ki Basti' housing scheme where he performed foundation stone laying ceremony of Phase-II. He said this Basti would be provided water and electricity on easy instalments while the number of water tankers would also be increased. He said the number of bus route permits would be increased to solve transport problem of the area. The DCO Karachi, Shafiq-ur-Rahman Paracha, DG Katchi Abadis Authority Tasnim Ahmad Siddiqi and other officials were also present on the occasion. The City Nazim was informed that Khuda Ki Basti was being developed on an area of 600 acres and 1,700 houses were constructed so far and 1,400 families, with a population of 7,000, have started living. He was told that second phase had been started on an area of 40 acres. (The News 06/06/02)
KWSB SEEKS APPROVAL FOR DESALINATION PLANT Karachi Water and Sewerage Board,
through the Planning and Development Department of Sindh, has approached
the Federal Planning Division for approval of PC-II to undertake
feasibility study at a cost of Rs23 million for installation of seawater
desalination plant in the city. (Daily Dawn 29/5/02)
ACTION COMMITTEE FORMED TO DEAL WITH WATER CRISIS Different political and social welfare organisations formed 'Lyari Action Committee' on Tuesday to take right action against the persisting water crisis in Lyari Town. This decision was taken at a conference held in the Town under the aegis of Voluntary Organisation and Institute for Community Development (VOICE), at its office on Monday. Baloch Ittehad chief Abid Brohi, Sohrab Baloch of Sindh National Movement, Tariq Rahmani of Muttahida, M Ismail of Tehreek-e-Insaf and leaders of other parties and organisations attended. The conference demanded supply of at least 28 MGD of water, appointment of Lyari Town Nazim as member of KWSB board and disconnection of illegal connections given to different localities. The conference decided that the committee action might include siege of KWSB head office and strike in Lyari for an indefinite period. (The News 29/5/02)
TANKER MAFIA TAKES OVER BRIDGE
(Daily Dawn 29/05/02)
RS.4.4m SEWERAGE LINE LAYING PROJECT INAUGURATED IN SADDER TOWN Nazim Saddar Town Farooq Memon Fariya inaugurated a Rs 4.4 million project of laying new sewerage line, under Khush'hal Pakistan Project Phase III in Hasrat Mohani Colony on Wednesday. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the project Fariya said the initiation of development schemes, especially the construction of roads, were useless unless the outdated water and sewerage lines were not replaced. Fariya said leakages from the existing pipelines had ruined roads of Saddar Town. He said the Town was planning out several development schemes to address water and sewerage problems. He informed that the 36-inch sewerage line would be laid from Hasrat Mohani Colony to Dr Dawood Pota Road and the work would be completed within two months. Town Municipal Officer Zameer Ahmad Khan and Executive Engineer KWSB Raees Ahmad also attended the inauguration ceremony. NORTH NAZIMABAD TOWN: Nazim North Nazimabad Town Fasihuddin Siddiqui inaugurated Rs 7.4 million water pipeline project, under Khush'hal Pakistan Project. On the occasion Fasihuddin said the new pipeline would facilitate blocks C, D, I and J of North Nazimabad and would help address the longstanding problems of water shortage and water contamination. JAMSHED TOWN: Jamshed Town has recovered Rs 13.3 million under different heads till April 2002, said the Town Nazim Ahmad Parekh. Addressing a meeting of the Council of Jamshed Town to discuss budgetary proposals for the year 2002-2003, Parekh hoped that the Town would achieve the recovery target of Rs 25.3 million by the end of the current fiscal. He said the major revenue head of the Town was the income from advertisement fee under which Rs 4.4 million were recovered till April 30 against the expected amount of Rs 12 million. Referring to development schemes, Parekh said the Town initiated works worth Rs 2.3 million and the entire amount of Rs 19.5 million, allocated for development projects, would be spent if the Town managed to achieve the revenue target. (The News 30/5/02)
FEWER PEOPLE PAY WATER TAX DESPITE AFFORDABLE TARIFF The water tariff fixed by Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) for the cosmopolitan city is 'fair' and not increased since 1998, but despite the fact that 'hardly 10-15 per cent of total 1.270 million consumers pay water tax, while water is supplied to all citizens without any discrimination'. The KWSB makes annual billing of Rs2 billion, which was realised and efforts were being made to increase the number of consumers, said Managing Director KWSB Brig Muhammad Behram Khan. The water tariff in Karachi has been adjusted since last year and Net Annual Rental Value (NARV) basis formula has been de-linked and the consumers were now being charged on area basis. With this formula 25 per cent relief was provided to the consumers, Brig Behram Khan stated. Speaking in 'Bilmushafa' of Radio Pakistan Karachi on Wednesday, he said budget of the KWSB was now sustaining. We have not received any subsidy from Karachi Metropolitan Corporation since last two years. For the past three fiscal years, we have made loan payments to the Sindh government of total Rs145 million." He said Karachi needs 590 million gallons daily (mgd) of water, but at present was getting 100mgd less, mainly because there were no rains in upper areas of Hub Dam for the last two years. This shortfall will be met in immediate with more rains and after the completion of K-3 Scheme, launched with the assistance of federal government, he stated. Brig Behram Khan underlined the imperative need for 'judicious' use of water in the city. He felt that overall shortfall of water in Karachi was due to its rising population. He denied that there was leakage of 30-40 per cent of water in Karachi, and contended that water lines in the city were 'over-charged'. "A scheme is underway to ensure leaks reduction. We have asked federal government to give Rs1 billion to carry out water loss reduction and system improvement of the KWSB," he said and added: "The Board spends Rs100-200 million annually on its development projects." Responding to a question, he said the KWSB was giving top priority to remove complaints of water contamination on a regular basis. "We undertake this exercise round-the-year. In certain localities water line passes through Nullahs and complaints of contamination occur with use of suction pumps by consumers, which needs to be avoided," he said. Brig Behram said a scheme for reuse of sewerage water in the SITE industrial area of Karachi was underway, which, when implemented, would save fresh water for citizens. Asked about water desalination plant for Karachi, the KWSB chief said it was necessary as city was seaport, but felt that it was 'an expensive project'. "We are involving Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim, Steels Mills and others in this scheme and asked federal government to undertake detailed feasibility study in this regard." (The News 30/05/02)
The tables below illustrate the
water situation in Karachi. Table
- 14 Karachi
Water Demand and Supply
(Source: KWSB) Table
- 15 Forecast
Demand for Water
(Source: PSP in KWSB, Strategy
Report; January 1997) Table
- 16 Sources
of Bulk Water Supply
(Source: MP&ECD, KDA) The government has been increasing
bulk water supply to Karachi and plans to increase it further. The Indus
K-II Scheme was commissioned in August 1998 with a capacity of 100 MGD.
There is a strong feeling among critics of government plans that instead
of increasing supply, the government should first try to plug the water
leakages from the transmission system and prevent water theft by the
villages that lie along the transmission routes. Even if 50 per cent of
the leakages could be plugged, 81 MGD water could be added to Karachi’s
supply and further supply will not be lost through leakages. Water is also supplied by water
tankers to those parts of Karachi where water supply systems do not exist
or function. The water tankers get water from KMC hydrants and also from
"illegal" hydrants which use tube wells to tap the shallow water
acquifer. Tests carried out on this water show high levels of pathogenic
content. It is generally believed that this water is really from leaking
water and sewage lines since subsoil water in Karachi is brackish and
hence not potable. The number of illegal hydrants is increasing and many
apartment complexes have developed their own tube wells. According to the Water Tanker’s
Association, the number of water tankers in the city are slightly above
5,000 and they operate about 50,000 trips per day1. This means
that they supply 8.5 MGD per day and their gross earning is around 10
million rupees per day. In addition, in many settlements water is supplied
by donkey carts. Most of these carts tap KWSB water lines. They are
permitted to do this because they pay bhatta to the KWSB supervisory
staff. The extent of this activity has not been estimated. In the old city and its
neighbouring areas, water supply is now insufficient due to densification
and the areas at the end of transmission lines do not get water at all. To
overcome this problem, neighbourhoods have collectively installed suction
pumps on the lines and converted their outlets into stand posts. The
extent of this activity has also not been estimated. According to KWSB sources, there
are 1.17 million water consumers in Karachi. However, only 758,500 are on
the billing role and only 163,000 are regular payers. No action is taken
against the defaulters and the KWSB runs at a perpetual loss. The government is currently looking
into the possibility of private sector partnership (PSP) for management
and operation of water and waste water services in Karachi which they feel
will improve levels of service and also attract investment. Citizen’s
groups and NGOs, feel otherwise. According to OPP surveys, Karachi katchi
abadis have developed their water systems at their own cost and through
councillor funding. These systems have not even been documented. In
addition, there are large areas of Karachi which have water supply systems
but are not due to receive water for the next 10 years. How the private
sector will deal with these issues and with the tankers mafia has not been
explained. The NGOs are also concerned about the financial burden that the
envisaged increase in tariffs will place on the poorer consumers.
By John Thakur Das
(D-The Magazine-4, 06/07/03)
Something not in the pipeline
There are schemes and yet more schemes, but at the end of it all, the Karachiites are left high and dry By Zulfiqar Shah
On June 13, Rangers and police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to baton-charge to disperse a crowd of people who were protesting against shortage of drinking water in Lyari, an old neighbourhood of Karachi. Residents of this poor neighbourhood came out on the streets early in the morning to protest against the persisting water shortage. They were chanting slogans against the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), demanding fair distribution of water and measures to overcome the scarcity of drinking water when their slogans were responded to with teargas and baton charge. Law enforcement agencies (LES) claim they resorted to these extreme tactics because the crowd had turned violent and had blocked the road, a charge denied by the locals. Ironically, this has been the first time in recent history when citizens have been severally beaten up and teargassed for demanding a basic amenity. Such protests against shortage of drinking water have been a routine matter particularly in summers each year, but neither has the government ever tried to improve the situation nor before now did it feel threatened enough to take such extreme steps to disperse such protests. Just two days before this incident, another group of protesters blocked Keamari Road to express their resentment over water shortage. They were dispersed after city nazim assured them of continued supply of water. There comes hardly any day when Karachiites from one corner of the city or the other are not seen protesting against water shortage. Old areas like Lyari and faraway neighbourhoods like North Karachi, Orangi and Baldia town are the worst hit. "Water is a basic human need but successive governments have failed to provide a fair supply of this commodity to the people of the city," says Basir Naveed, Chairman Action Committee on Civic Problems. "It's unfortunate that those demanding water are being beaten up." Though the shortage of drinking water persists in the city all the year round, the problem reaches epic proportions in summers with the rising consumption which puts added pressure over the already fragile water supply system. According to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) which has been renamed as city government's Water and Sewerage Department (W&SD) under the devolution plan, the city is currently receiving 480 million gallon daily (MGD) water from Indus river via Kinjar lake against an estimated demand of 650 MGD. "The shortage is mainly because of the gap in demand and supply of water," says an official of the department. "When you have a single source of water with a limited supply capacity, a shortage is natural." He says there are other reasons of water shortage including mismanagement and wastage in consumption patterns but main reasons is the widening gap in supply and demand of water. Karachi used to receive 110 MGD water from the Hub Dam and 25 MGD from Dam Loti wells in Malir, which have been dry for many years now, leaving the city dependant just on Indus, due to drought and other environmental changes. The city received 50 and then 25 MGD water from Hub Dam for a short period of two months and that too stopped at a very critical time in the summers when every drop of water was so precious. A project, K-3, for the supply of an additional 100 MGD to the city from Indus river, launched by the Musharraf government last year is under way and is expected to be completed within the next two years, is the only hope for additional water. Naturally any additional water will help in meeting the shortage but even the officials of the KW&SB are convinced that by the time K-3 will be completed the demand would also have been increased due to the growing population of the city that will still leave the city short of drinking water. Karachi's growing population, which grows at a higher rate than the national annual growth rate of 2.6 per cent, and the unchecked sprawling katchi abadies are another major cause of shortage of water in the city. Many of these abadies do not have formal water board connections but still get as much water as any formal settlement. "When the population is increasing without proper planning and the amenities are not increasing at the same speed, a crisis is inevitable," comments an official. "Controlling the growth of population is vital to control this crisis," he adds. He says the city was not planned for this phenomenal population increase, an explanation most residents of the city refuse to accept. "The water shortage is not because of a gap in demand and supply but it is because of leakage and system losses," says Mohammad Younis, Director at Urban Resources Centre (URC), an NGO working on urban civic issues. "When 40 per cent of the water is being lost, demand can never be met -- no matter how much the supply increases," he adds. According to Younis, the water shortage can simply be met by managing the losses. "You don't need investment, just better management and good governance." Interestingly, even the officials accept that leakage and losses in distribution system account for 20 to 30 per cent of the city's total water supply. In a recent high level meeting on June 22, Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakil Qazi directed the concerned officials to take immediate measures for plugging leakage in the water distribution system. The chief secretary asked the W&S department to critically analyse the water pumping system, distribution management and valve operation on a war footing so that the acute water shortage persisting in the city is controlled without any delay. These directions themselves acknowledge that water management is a major problem. Distribution of drinking water in the city mainly depends on the 'valve operation system' which is considered to be a very important, sensitive and vulnerable system. Interestingly, Rangers, who have been monitoring the 41 valves of the city have withdrawn their personnel from the sites. Officials say since the Rangers' withdrawal, tempering in the valve system has increased. It is reported that people come and open the valves as per their wishes and valve operators are also accused of inequitable distribution of water. "Yes, mismanagement at the official level is an issue but our respectable citizens also need to share the responsibility for all this mess," adds a KW&SB official sarcastically. He says the utility does not have its own security system and even a 8,500-strong staff is not enough to provide services of sewerage and drinking water to a population exceeding 13 million. "There may be more people in the administration but we still lack technical staff," he adds. "We, as a nation, are least bothered about conservation and a careful use of water, which is already short. In areas like Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Federal B Area and Nazimabad where people have built underground tanks, they care little for water conservation. Go and see how water is being wasted in the streets. Even after they have filled their tankers, they do not bother to turn the valve off," complains an official. Interestingly almost all crises in our country are attributed to the international financial institutions and the issue of water shortage in Karachi is no exception. "The present water crisis is an artificial one and has been created deliberately," says Younis. He says there is pressure from World Bank and Asian Development Bank for the privatisation of the water distribution system, and the officials have deliberately created a crisis to convince the people for privatisation. Basir Naveed echoes these views. "The present crisis has been created by those who want to pave the way for the privatisation of water distribution," he says. "It is unfortunate that the state is slowly withdrawing civic amenities from the people." Naveed is of the opinion that some senior officials who were promised higher paid jobs after privatisation may have been instrumental in the current crisis. The idea of privatising KW&SB was first conceived in the last PPP government but was dropped after a lot of criticism from citizens and NGOs and the Labour Union challenged it in the Supreme Court. "Water is a basic human right, not a commodity so you cannot privatise it," says Younis. "It's better to correct the system and ensure equitable distribution rather than making attempts of privatising it." He warned the government that the citizens would not accept any move to privatise the water distribution system, which will snatch this basic lifeline from the poor. "After privatisation only the rich will get water and the poor will have to die thirsty." He says that posh localities like DHA and Clifton receive more water than their share. "In these areas people water their huge lawns and wash their vehicles while the residents of poor areas do not even have drinking water. This is an inequitable distribution of water. Ironically KW&SB is a classical example of bad governance where most problems are a creation of mismanagement, corruption and political involvement. In many areas, shortage of funds is cited as the main cause for the many problems and for not keeping pace with the increasing demand." The KW&SB has a debt burden of Rs 47 billion plus interest, which the citizens have to repay. Where has all this money gone is anybody's guess. One thing is for sure, it hasn't helped the board bring in management reforms of increase its water supply system. "Money won't help, no matter how much you pump in. Things will not improve till you improve the management," suggests Younis. There is a need to adopt a multi-dimensional approach to solve the issue of water shortage in Karachi. To increase supply to meet the future demands of this growing city, there is an urgent need to pay serious attention on revamping and management level reforms in the department which include reduction in losses and waste. More importantly equitable distribution and severing illegal connections is also necessary. A need to create awareness for a balanced use of these resources is also vital. (The News-24, special report, 06/07/03)
'We need Rangers to ensure judicious water supply'
Mohammad Suleman Chandio, Deputy Managing Director Technical Services, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, talks to TNS about the city's water worries and their solutions, if any
The News on Sunday: What are the reasons for the current water shortage in Karachi? Mohammad Suleman Chandio: The current shortage is mainly due to the fact that supply has been stopped from Hub Dam. The shortage is reported from areas like North Karachi, Baldia Town, Orangi and SITE, all dependent on Hub Dam water. Since June 3, supply of 50 million gallons of water per day has been completely stopped from the dam. Hence the shortage in these areas. Shortage in Lyari is a different case. It has more to do with a dispute between two groups than any technical reason. Each of these two groups wants to divert more water to their area. We have had a meeting with local elected representatives to solve this issue amicably. We want to lay a dedicated line for Moosa Lane to improve the availability of water there but we cannot do so until the dispute is resolved. The shortage has been further aggravated because Pakistan Rangers have withdrawn their men from monitoring 41 water valves across the city. Since their withdrawal, some miscreants -- particularly in the five towns which have been affected due to stoppage of water from Hub -- have broken the concrete covers of the valves and started tempering with the system. We have brought this matter to the knowledge of the provincial governor and other high-ups for the re-deployment of Pakistan Rangers at these valves. TNS: Why Pakistan Rangers were withdrawn and why don't you deploy police if Rangers are not willing to do the job? MSC: The Rangers have withdrawn on their own since June 13, citing their pre-occupation in maintaining law and order in the city. Even earlier, their deployment was not always a permanent affair. But we need them particularly at the time of crises to ensure the judicious distribution of water. Honestly speaking, you cannot trust police with this job because they are working under town and union council nazims who can influence them in releasing more water to their favourite areas. Though we used to seek police help working under a magistrate's supervision when there was a central police system, after the abolition of that system we don't trust them. We need the Rangers because they are a neutral agency. TNS: Do you mean that local governments have further aggravated the problem instead of solving it? MSC: The problem is that every union council and town nazim wants more water for his area without any regard for the needs elsewhere. If we hand over the monitoring of our valves to the police, they can use their influence for the purpose. TNS: Some people link the current water shortage with a proposal to privatise the city's water distribution system. Is it true? MSC: It's not true. Had there been such a proposal there would have been a water crisis in the entire city. But as I told you only five towns are facing the shortage. I also want to make it clear that the present administration of the water board is completely against the privatisation of the board. Why shall we need to create an artificial shortage, if we oppose the privatisation ourselves? I think this chapter has been closed long ago. TNS: Water losses are one of the main reasons for water shortages. Why the board is not able to reduce these losses? It may help you in reducing the shortages. MSC: Water losses and leakages are an in-built part of the system and are an inevitable phenomenon in any water distribution system which has flexible joints and lines. In our system, we use 15" to 84" diameter pre-stress concrete lines with flexible joints so leakages are inevitable. Such losses are only avoidable when we use steel pipelines with a 100-year span of life. TNS: Why don't you use steel pipes then? MSC: They are very costly. We provide water to the city through 4,500 miles long pipelines. Most of these lines are laid by development agencies like Karachi Development Authority. The choice of the pipes depend on their resources. Water board is not a development agency. We cannot take up the task of replacing these lines. Development agencies argue that changing the pipelines will increase development charges manifolds which our citizens cannot afford. So this option doesn't seem practicable at the moment. TNS: What's the percentage of water losses in your distribution system and what measures are you taking to lower them down if you cannot completely end them? MSC: Water leakage losses stand at 35 per cent. As I told you, we cannot completely eliminate them, though there can be some improvement. We are already in the process of launching a Rs 1.25 billion project aimed at plugging visible leakages and strengthening the system. TNS: You say that the main cause of water shortage is stoppage of water from Hub. Why did not the water board plan in advance to avoid this situation? MSC: Stoppage of water from Hub was never discussed at the official level and we were never told that this could happen. But it has suddenly happened putting us in trouble. Hub, in fact, is a project conceived and run by the Water and Power Development Authority. I don't know how do they conceive projects like this but I think the money spent on Hub could have yielded better results if it had been spent on bringing water to Karachi from the Indus river which is a more durable and more reliable source. TNS: What immediate measure are you taking to overcome the present crisis? MSC: We are making all out efforts to overcome the crisis. We are trying to provide water from the Indus river to the areas which used to get water from Hub River. We are also improving distribution and seeking cooperation from citizens. A project known as K-3 is in the pipeline. It will be completed in 2005 and will provide a substitute for the water coming from the Hub Dam. TNS: Do you think the present rift between local and provincial governments is also contributing in current water crisis in the city? MSC: I really cannot say any thing in this regard because it's a political issue. What I can say is that due to this rift water board is getting less funds. We are not receiving enough funds to meet our demands. --By Zulfiqar Shah (The News-24, special report, 06/07/03)
Bottled up The sale of bottled water is on the rise in Karachi due to inadequate drinking water. Concerns of the quality of the water are on the rise as the sales go up By Rubina Jabbar
Due to unavailability of clean drinking water in Karachi, more and more residents of the city are turning to bottled water for their drinking needs -- which is putting extra burden on household budgets. Husna, a working woman, spends more than Rs 1,000 every month to buy just six glasses of bottled water a day. "Since one cannot compromise on health, I cut down on other expenses to be able to afford buying two bottles of drinking water a day," she says and adds she has been using bottled water of the same brand for the last three years. "And, thank God, till now I have avoided being infected with any water-related diseases like dysentery, but repeated reports of substandard water bottles are now scaring me." Middle class families who cannot afford to buy bottled water have resorted to buying water sold in cans which bear no label or trademark. 'What else are we supposed to do to get clean drinking water when tap water is not fit for human consumption,' ask consumers bitterly. Water peddlars known as Suzuki walas are now a regular feature in middle income areas, particularly in residential apartments and flats, providing drinking water in white plastic cans at home. Rashid Jamaal, who runs a small grocery shop in Federal B. Area, made huge profits from selling cans of water when Karachi faced the crisis of muddy drinking water last year. "My businessman uncle runs a water purifying plant in Gulberg and he supplied me with the 12-litre cans of water that I sold for Rs 20 each, making Rs 5 per can. Other shops sold clean the water by simply dipping a piece of alum in it, but I provided my customers water purified at my uncle's plant," says Rashid. Compare this with the standards in the United States where bottled water is one of the most regulated products. Local public health departments, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversee the packaging and labelling of bottled water. The FDA also regulates statements on labels and prohibits those which could be deceptive or misleading. The web-site of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), representing about 85 per cent of the bottled water sold in the United States, says the product may be labelled as bottled water, drinking water or any of the following terms on the basis of its contents in the following scheme: Drinking Water: Drinking water is water that is sold for human consumption in sanitary containers and contains no added sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavours, extracts or essences). It must be calorie-free and sugar-free. Flavours, extracts or essences may be added to drinking water, but they must comprise less than one-percent-by-weight of the final product or the product will be considered a soft drink. Drinking water may be sodium-free or contain very low amounts of sodium. Mineral Water: Bottled water containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids may be labelled as mineral water. Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to this product. Purified Water: Water that has been produced by distillation, deionisation, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes and that meets the definition of purified water in the United States Pharmacopoeia may be labelled as purified bottled water. Other suitable product names for bottled water treated by one of the above processes may include 'distilled water' if it is produced by distillation, 'deionised water' if the water is produced by deionisation, or 'reverse osmosis water' if the process used is reverse osmosis. Sparkling Water: Water that after treatment and possible replacement with carbon dioxide contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source. Spring Water: Bottled water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a bore hole tapping the underground formation finding the spring. Well Water: Bottled water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground which taps the water of an aquifer. In an attempt to regulate bottled water among other consumer products, the government has placed 46 consumer products on the list of 'essential items', which include cooking oil, bottled water, beverages, biscuits, confectionery, etc. It has made it mandatory for these products to be registered with Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), conform to their standards and carry a safety logo on the package. Failure to do so is punishable by fine and imprisonment. At present, there are over 200 brands of cooking oil and bottled water available in the market in various sizes of tins, bottles and plastic cans. Still only 40 cooking oil manufacturers and 17 water bottlers have registered with PSQCA till now. Of the 21 brands of bottled water tested in a study by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and Consumer Right Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) on bottled water brands in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi 11 contained chemical and microbiological contamination, while all the manufacturers claim purity on their label and in every advertisement. There is no Clean Water Act and Safe Water Act in Pakistan and only 40 per cent of the population has access to clean drinking water in conformity with WHO standards, says a document of The Helpline Trust (THT), a Karachi-based NGO working for raising awareness on consumers' rights. PSQCA monitors and tests the quality of bottled water. It is obligatory for bottled water companies to obtain licence from PSQCA before marketing their products. Violators can be fined Rs 50000 or face one-year imprisonment. PSQCA Director General Dr Syed Khaqan Hasan says 16 companies have obtained licenses up till now while about 50 companies are still operating without licenses. "Since this is a new sector our emphasis right now is on licensing and on getting these companies to organise their own quality control laboratories. And they are now getting organised to a certain level. We will soon start issuing notices to the unlicensed companies as well. We don't have adequate manpower to start a move against them, but we are planning an action with the help of the local government. Provincial committees comprising representatives of health ministry, local government and industry will be set up for this purpose." Chief Co-ordinator of The Helpline Trust (THT) says bottled water is a food item and tapped water is a utility. "Every four months, a joint team of THT and PSQCA collects six food items including bottled water from the market and send it to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) and HEJ Institute at the University of Karachi. PSQCA forwards these lab reports to the Ministry of Science & Technology for their approval. The whole process requires about four months. But these reports cannot be made public without the permission of the ministry." (The News-24, special report, 06/07/03)
By Prof. Dr. Iqbal Ali
(D-Eco & Bus, 14/07/03)
Rs200bn plan for water projects By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, April 27: The federal government is
preparing a Rs200 billion 'contingency plan' outside the normal budgetary
funding to kick-start a couple of mega water projects over the next five
years. (Daily Dawn 28/4/04)
Political control and corruption are two key factors responsible for degradation of water resources management in Pakistan
By Mustafa Talpur
Economists have suggested water markets as a remedy, but the absence of well-defined property rights and high transaction costs remains a barrier to this solution. Efficient market function requires perfect information for all, perfect competition, fewer externalities and well-defined rights. In the absence of these conditions, markets do not work properly and become monopolised. In this case, they pose serious negative consequences for the poor segment of society. Table shown presents the key arguments for water as economic good or social good.
Human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations and even United Nations organisations like Unicef consider water a basic human right. Every one has a right to water without social, economic, gender or political discrimination. The argument made that if a market value is attached to water, several million people will not be able to even get drinking water. The small farmers at tail ends of irrigation systems will not get sufficient water, which is now guaranteed by law, thus compelling them to hydrological poverty.
The issue suggests that water is a scarce resource and should be treated accordingly. All the suggestions for market valuation have an agenda to increase water use efficiency and increase revenue to meet operation and maintenance costs. In the following portion, we will examine the role of different institutions in achieving the objectives of cost recovery, rationalising prices and enhancing water use efficiency.
Do institutions matter? Most irrigation systems throughout the world were developed by governments and are managed by huge centralised government bureaucracies. The failure of centralised institutional arrangement led to financial crisis. Institutional components of irrigation broadly comprised on water rights, policy and administration. How well the water rights are defined in a country will reflect the degree of decentralisation in water regulation and the appropriateness of water markets to price irrigation water. Water laws are another important element of institutions governing the water sector. Unclear definition, obsolete and uncertainties in water laws are limiting the sustainability and efficiency of irrigation water system management. Countries like Pakistan where colonial rules are still exercised and historical customary rights of communities over resources are denied, gives the very basis to inequality and management crisis, which tilts benefits to powerful groups.
The law determines the efficient disposition of water disputes, water allocation at different points and compliance with legal procedures. A well-defined and well-drafted legal system is a key tool for efficient management. It is incumbent that law should incorporate the customary and historical rights of water use of communities and, to a larger extent, empower local communities for management and control over the resources. In the entire developing world as well as in Pakistan, water governance is controlled by centralised gigantic public sector organisations, and operates under colonial rule.
These institutions are politically governed and possess inherent inclination to the country's power structure. Historically, the powerful rural elites have a strong voice in government. During last 30-40 years, this unholy pact of feudalism and bureaucracy brought the entire water management system on the verge of collapse. The fundamental problems emerging under this elite and bureaucracy-managed water is inequity in distribution at all levels of hydraulic systems. If on one side post-Tarbela period increased water availability, on the other side it increased distributional inequity thus neutralising poverty reduction objectives. The wealth generated by extra available water unequally distributed first to the people of upper riparian and then few landlords of lower reach of the Indus River.
Although the scarcity value of water is increasing, the politically rooted system of public provision and subsidised water charges insulates the water economy from influence of actual market forces. The poor recovery rates undermining the efficient maintenance of existing water infrastructure as well as additional investment in future water. But corruption and hidden water economy has to be incorporated before making suck kind of judgment on recovery. Though the measurement and validity of bribe amount is difficult, but the continuous experience at one place revealed to the author that farmers at each watercourse were paying average annually Rs25,000-30,000. Small channel having 30 watercourses has illegal business of about Rs1m annually.
Political control and corruption are two key factors responsible for degradation of water resources management in Pakistan. Pakistan, under the prescription of the World Bank, is implementing water sector reforms to introduce model developed in Mexico and other countries. The entire reforms agenda is driven by the factor mentioned above. The initial idea of the Bank was to privatise the system, but wider public opposition to the idea changed, yet it might be leading towards the same idea. There are few risks to implement water sector reforms under the agenda of the World Bank. Being driven solely by the ideology of market economy, the Bank might be trying to suggest increasing user fees and charges and slowly moving toward economic pricing of water thus leading to exclude poor farmers in the name of poverty reduction as being done in structural adjustment programme and now in poverty reduction strategy papers.
The second risk is already surfacing now in half-decade implementation of reform agenda that is control of the same powerful group on new institutions. This validates the idea that water reforms and empowerment of poor farmers is linked to land reforms, otherwise new rural water institutions will have a great chance to be controlled by influential feudal lords. The third risk associated with involving the World Bank in reforms is increase in cost. This is an established fact that involvement of international financial institutions in any project triples the cost, because there are several parasites on World Bank money including bank officials, consultants and other interests, which triple the cost, ultimately to be paid by the country.
Irrigation water pricing is a complex and multifaceted issue. Water has multiple social and economic functions and it is being considered as a basic human right rather than pure economic good. While no one can deny that water has a scarcity value but it is also a source for millions of poor for drinking and earning livelihood. Allowing market to determine water prices simply for cost recovery will jeopardise the majority of poor, who are unable due to inequitable wealth and power distribution to compete in the water market, and who will be excluded in the new doctrine. The situation of rural poverty will be aggravated.
Water posseses high social value; it is essential for ecological balance, beauty and drinking for all living organisms. The society as a whole is responsible for bearing the cost, not only the users. Thus the idea of recovering the investment cost from users is debatable. This does not mean that water pricing should not be rationalised. The term rationalising prices comes in between economic value of water and subsidised water. It leads to the rationale cost acceptable to all users. No one can deny the fact that the corruption and mismanagement of public resources are rampant in developing countries, which have overshadowed the actual cost of water management. The hidden economy of water resources management, if considered to be calculated in actual cost recovery and added, reveals that sufficient funds are already available in the economy but they being misused.
The centralised management systems attached with irrigation since the inception of irrigated agriculture are not orientated with the issue of cost recovery, because of their innate inability to cope with crisis and reliance on external sources. Thus the mix of ignoring traditional community-based management and building large infrastructure governed under colonial rule are the root causes of problems. Much depends upon institutional capacity, rule of law, clarity of property rights and revival of community-based management systems, rather than putting water on the mercy of the market.
The available literature on water pricing policies does not show any country with a market valuation of water and without any subsidies, USA and Europe have targeted subsidies to farmers in different ways. The whole range of available information on market pricing gives theoretical picture rather than empirical evidence that economic pricing will increase water use efficiency. The guided principle of this theory is Pareto Optimal or marginal value of cost. But the pre-requisites of efficient market function are non-existing in the water sector; thus, market valuation will cause the poor of the world to suffer.
-- Concluded
(The News, 11 April 2004)
Addressing Water Supply in Karachi
By Noman Ahmed
As the peak summer season is approaching, the urban water supply system is
showing signs of impending collapse. According to a news report (Dawn, April
5, 04), a secondary supply line was burst due to mis-coordination of pumping
station and valve-men of a neighbourhood in Gulshan-e-lqbal Town.
(Daily Dawn 12 April 2004)
The cost of pricing water
Water as an economic good reflects the theory of marginal cost valuation. Its production and distribution should be determined by the overriding value of "consumer's sovereignty"
By Mustafa Talpur
The world has realised that water availability per capita is declining rapidly. In 2050 according to UN population estimates 4,380 cm3 of fresh water per capita will be available per person in year 2050 given a projected population of 9bn. 500 cm3 per capita is enough to meet human needs. However, it is hard to exploit the available water resources due to physical, economic and environmental conditions. The other severe problem is the spatial and temporal variation in water supply.
There are two schools of thought regarding water pricing. Economists believe that water should be treated as a market commodity and markets should determine the prices (World Bank and other capital economy institutions). They feel that water is a scarce commodity, and, due to under-pricing, several problems have been occurring. The major problems of under-pricing are: inadequate cost recovery, waste of water, improper operation and maintenance, poor service delivery, environmental degradation and increasing inequity. It is argued that a true economic valuation of water is a panacea for all these ills. The valuation will generate sufficient funds and focus on demand management. Proper maintenance will improve the service delivery and, consequently, increase production. Farmers' ability to pay will be enhanced. It is also argued that market valuation will minimise environmental degradation and improve water quality.
The other school of thought argues that water has a social value beyond its economic value. Water serves the needs of our entire society, and it is a basic human right. If the markets are allowed to fix the price of water, the poor will suffer because they cannot compete even though they have a high need for water. The market economy has failed to reduce global poverty. Allowing the market a free rein will deny the fundament right to water of the poor. The core idea of this group of people leads to considering water a social good and financed through public funds.
I have tried to look at the institutional aspects of water pricing to determine whether decentralisation of irrigation management is instrumental in solving the problems identified in the irrigation sector. We examined whether the transfer of irrigation management to autonomous bodies is helpful in cost recovery. Looking at the depth of the topic and earlier work, we have just confined ourselves to case studies in a few countries. It identifies several questions for further research. A big issue that surfaced is the determination of water pricing. What does pricing actually mean? Should pricing be equal to operation and maintenance costs or should investment costs be included; if so then why are farmers not expected to contribute to the investment costs of rural roads and other rural infrastructure that benefits them? Why has design and construction of irrigation systems throughout the world sidelined the issue of irrigation pricing? Was there any wisdom in that decision to subsidies water pricing?
We came to the conclusion that water-pricing issues are multi-faceted and sensitive. Alternative options should be explored and applied to serve human society. One alternative option is decentralisation of management. This new institutional setup has several political repercussions, and it is directly linked with the political structure of the countries throughout the world. Vested groups, political power games and the capacity of farmers or other semi-autonomous bodies are the key factors in new institutional arrangements realise the true concept of natural resources management by communities.
Fresh water availability links with food and agriculture Fresh water resources are limited and are being rapidly depleted due to unabated population growth and multiple uses. The demand for water is increasing all around the world and per capita water availability is decreasing. Global water estimation shows that around 10% of available freshwater is being exploited for use. Agriculture consumes the major share, around 70%. Irrigation provides a supplementary water supply to one-fifth of the world's cultivated land, from which one-third of the world's food is harvested.
It is estimated that the world's population will increase to 8bn by 2025 and 9bn by 2050. Thus, the demand for food is projected to increase around 37% in the first quarter of the current century. The major share of the population will be living in poor countries and their livelihoods depend on agriculture and food production. In order to fulfill the food needs of additional people more land will be cultivated for which 22% more water will be required by 2025. The center of the problem is that the population is growing and demanding more food, the sectors which were once less significant in water use will be taking a larger share of water and leaving little to produce food. In 1900, agriculture accounted for nearly 90% of all water used. By 2000, it is expected that this will decline to about 62%. When examining world water use trends over the past century, it is important to realise that significant industrial demand for water in many parts of the globe did not begin until after 1940. The percentage share of total water use for industry in this century is projected increase from 6-24%.
Rationale for water pricing There is a large body of literature, which argues that the way to achieve optimum use of water is putting an economic value on water resources. It is argued that under-valuation of water encourages misallocation and misuse of water, which leads to environmental degradation.
The debate on economic valuation of irrigation water started in the early 1960s but it surfaced more vigorously after the Dublin Declaration in 1992, which proclaimed, "water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic good."
Water is no longer to be considered a free commodity. The costs of development and distribution must be paid if the system is to be self-sustaining. Water pricing is an essential component of water demand management, and instrumental in generating revenue for capital recovery, operation and maintenance and extension of the system to promote efficiency in use and to protect the quality of water resources by reducing the waste of water.
The objectives associated with the water pricing issues are: water use efficiency, distribution, equity, and improvement in quality, environmental improvement, sufficient resources generation, improvement in services. This pricing is not just linked to meeting operational costs, but also to the recovery of investment costs. Low irrigation leads to excessive use of water and thus creates problem of land degradation. Marginal cost pricing may improve environmental management. Ronal Cummings and Vhram Nercissiantz suggest a number of ways in which water pricing might be used to provide to farmers to enhance efficiency.
What does pricing mean? There is a common debate regarding the calculation of water pricing. Does cost recovery mean just operation and maintenance cost, or does it include investment costs?
Irrigation systems were developed to encourage maximum number of people to settle in rural areas. Water services were heavily subsidised. All the OECD countries, including the USA, subsidised water. Canada's subsidies are 90% of supply cost. The general principle of water-pricing defined by the UN comprises of five keys elements: cost of services, ability to pay, opportunity cost, incremental cost and market-driven pricing.
Irrigation financing is the generation of funds that are specifically used to pay for the cost of providing services. Cost recovery, on the other hand, refers to the funds that flow into public agencies as a result of irrigation, regardless of whether or not these funds are used to pay for the cost of providing irrigation services. The idea of recovering investment costs from farmers is too vague because farmers are getting benefits from other rural services besides. If the cost recovery for all the services should be included, farmers will be unable to pay.
An economic or a social good? Water as an economic good reflects the theory of marginal cost valuation. Its production and distribution should be determined by the overriding value of "consumer's sovereignty". This defines the amount for which people are ready to pay. This market mechanism ignores the inequitable distribution of wealth in the society. The market economy has failed to reduce poverty and income inequity in society. If market rules are followed, the poor could not compete for this basic right though the marginal value of water for them is high.
In the context of economic efficiency, the piece of water should equate the marginal value of use with the marginal opportunity cost of use forgone. This definition of economic efficiency applies to all commodity markets. It is well known that economically efficient patterns of resources use are obtained under conditions where the value earned by the resource in any given use equals its scarcity value.
The hub of this theory is that water should be treated as a purely private good and be traded in the market. But the complexity of water resources, flow, measurement, losses and other related factors prevent this theory from operating. One school of thought believes that water is not a purely private good that can be left to the free market. It serves important environmental, ecological and social benefits in a diverse way so it should be considered at some level a social good. Thus, allowing some outside market management to serve the social objectives.
(To be concluded News on Sundays Daily News 4 /3 /04 )
Privatization was to be the magic answer to Karachi's water woes. Only the Sindh High Court thought otherwise
By Zulfiqar Shah
Shaista Baloch, 40, a schoolteacher and resident of Lyari, has a basic complaint to make: no drinking water at home. Her two sons have to alternate between college and visits to their grandmother's house about half a kilometer away from home to keep the water supply running. "They have to carry water from their grandmother's home," Shaista says. "Look at their hands! I really feel sorry for them but what do we do? We don't get water up in our house."
The story multiplies into hundreds and then thousands, and it transcends localities. Karachi, a bustling city of 13 million inhabitants, a city by the sea, cannot fulfil the water needs of its residents. The finger is pointed at the Water and Sanitation Department of the city district government, previously the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.
Karachi gets about 500 Million Gallon Daily (MGD) water against its need of 650 MGD. And there have been proposals, and yet more proposals on how to meet the shortfall.
One of the proposals moved in 1996-97 was privatisation of this public service under World Bank's Private Sector Participation (PSP) strategy. Though civil society actors strongly objected, the move was only halted after a Sindh High Court (SHC) ruling. On a writ petition by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board's trade union, the SHC ruled that such "a vital and sensitive" institution cannot be placed in private hands.
"There was a lot of resentment, and so the government could not proceed at that time. But I believe privatisation is always on their agenda. There was talk about it a couple of years ago and in recent months as well," comments Professor Nauman, who represents CREED, which campaigns for safe and adequate water for all citizens.
He says the experiment of privatising provision of drinking water has failed in places such as Manila.
"There is no need for such experimentation in Karachi. It will simply snatch the right of having water from the poorer sections," Professor Nauman says. Experts say in case of privatisation, the tariff could go go up by 300 to 500 per cent and the service will be limited.
"Water is a basic human right and you cannot commercialise it," says Mohammad Younus, an architect by profession and director of the Urban Resource Center (URC), an NGO working for better urban facilities. "If it is privatised, only those who had the money will get it and poor people will left high and dry."
Those who are for privatisation argue that it will help in improving the efficiency of service and delivery. Professor Nauman replies it is possible to stick to the exisiting system and yet be efficient. If there are problems, maybe the distribution system can be put under private management -- but privatisation of the service itself is not acceptable. "Private management is different than privatisation of service," he explains.
Since 1998-99, the distribution of water by tankers is being supervised by Pakistan Rangers, a para- military force deployed in the city in the early 1990s to tackle the law and order. The general impression is that it has hardly improved the situation. Even General Musharaf used the term 'tanker mafia' a couple of months ago at the time of groundbreaking ceremony of desalination plant for Creek City, a venture of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
"Supply through Rangers has created problems of its own," comments Younus. "The cost has increased and no one can dare ask the Rangers since they are in uniform." Complaints that these tankers sell water are frequent -- a charge that the Rangers officials deny. They say they provide free of cost water to areas which are not connected by pipeline, and that service under their supervision has improved as compared to when it was being run by the water board.
The latest project undertaken to address the acute water shortage problem is the construction K-III, which will provide an additional 100 MGD water to the city. But experts says since the problem lies with the management and distribution of water, the additional supply may not be the answer we are looking for. The system has to be overhauled and made efficient.
"The main problem is leakages and inequitable distribution of water," says Professor Mohammad Nauman. "Any addition is good, but I don't think it will help to solve the problem. You have to address the basics -- system losses and leakages, a just and equal distribution of water, efficient management."
Authorities admit to 30 to 35 per cent supply losses, a figure not too far apart from the independent estimate of 40 per cent losses and leakages.
"It's unfortunate that despite of huge investment authorities have not been able either to reduce leakages or correct the distribution system," says Mohammad Younus.
He says KW&SB has accumulated loans of Rs.42 billions during the last 15 years in the name of improving systems, which are being deducted from the development budget of the Sindh government and ultimately paid by the common citizens.
"You will be surprised to know that the board has not been able to do proper metering," he adds, implying that without a meter system, equal distribution is simply not possible.
The distribution of water in Karachi so far has remained power-based. You must have money or political influence to have your bucket of water ready. "Those who have this power get more than their share. Those who don't, must suffer," comments Younus.
The advent of the city governments should have broken the old system. There was talk of devolution when the five Karachi districts were subdivided into 18 towns and 75 union councils. Three years later, the water supply and distribution system is yet to be devolved at town and uc levels properly.
In the absence of a metering system there are no figures as to which town and uc gets what amount of water. "A devolution of the water board at the town and uc level is important, besides a strict adherence to the meter system," suggests Younus. Source: http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2004-weekly/nos-17-10-2004/
KWSB plants fail to treat entire city sewage By Bhagwan Das
(Daily Dawn, 06/12/04)
Restructuring KWSB: is it a prelude to privatization? By Noman Ahmed
(Daily Dawn, 05/12/04)
Proliferation of substandard bottled water causes worry Official agencies not up to the task of monitoring
KARACHI: The quality of bottled water up for sale in the city has become a source of much concern as there are reports of wide proliferation of substandard products in the market. People need water for drinking, washing and cooking purposes but due to poor infrastructure and shortage of piped water in the city, they are forced to look for alternative sources of supply. While in washing and other uses, substandard water can be used, the same cannot be done for human consumption. As a result, a considerable number of people have started consuming water bottles and "mineral" water. However, official agencies charged with looking at the quality of these products seem to be negligent in their work. One such organization, the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), says that it is short of staff and cannot supervise all the water products on sale. For people, bottled water is becoming a necessity. Though this choice is a little bit expensive as compared to the normal supply system of this precious resource, many argue that it is a small price to pay for oneís health. There was a time that bottled water was considered a novelty. Today, due to poor quality of water in our domestic supply, consumption for "mineral" water has peaked and demand now comes from all parts of the city. In the past, only corporate entities, hospitals and some government sectors used mineral water bottles in their daily routine and when people from the middle class started using these products, they became a ‘status symbol’ in society. These people from the middle class, however, are the main reason of the great success of this business. The rise in consumption has however led to the proliferation of fake and substandard water in the market. People complain about improper seal of the mineral water bottles and the other frequently asked question about these products is that, consumers are very much doubtful about the quality of the "mineral" waters. Most believe that these products don’t contain any minerals. People have lot of complaints about the quality of many water brands. They report about odour, colour, taste, freshness and quality of packing and delivery system as cause for complaint. But no government agency seems to be listening. "There are two types of parameters and methods used for analysis of water quality; one is chemically and second is bacteriological test," said a spokesperson for the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR). "Not only companies, but individuals also came to us to verify the quality of water, which they used for their own purpose or business. After a test conducted at PCSIR, we recommend to them whether or not the water is suitable for drinking, cooking and washing purposes," she said while explaining the process to The News. A family residing in Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) said that they had been drinking bottled water for a couple of years and never had any complaint; but just a month ago, they had an awful experience due to which they discontinued drinking that water. "I didn’t even have an idea of what filth I was going to drink that day. It was my luck that I checked the water before drinking; but was literally shocked to notice that numerous worms were trying to swim inside the glass," Saad, a family member, said while sharing his miserable experience with this correspondent. He added that they had considered that the water they were drinking was completely safe and clean but weren’t aware of the reality. "When we complained to the seller, I was surprised to get such a weird response. As I told him the whole story, he showed complete wonder, saying that they have never got such complaint from any of their customers. Although he made me believe that my complaint would definitely be passed on to the people concerned, I don’t know whether he really did so! However, since then we have stopped drinking can water," he said. But there seems to be no place to complain. When this situation was discussed with officials of the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), they replied that they have only three field officers, who have to cover whole of Sindh, and not Karachi alone, and there are almost 33 licensed companies operating in the city and 18 more are in queue to get the license. That is why, media advisor Rehmatullah Memon argued, it is generally and technically quite difficult to bring the best results. "But it doesn’t mean that we are not working on these problems, our officers always visit on complaints and take immediate action," he claimed. "But the main reason is the very less number of available task force and, secondly, our staff doesnít have any sort of magistrate authority,î he further said. "We have received some complaints that illegal filter plants are working in places like Site, Orangi Town and parts of Gulistan-e-Jauhar which are selling normal tap water, masquerading it as filteredî, he said, adding "these illegal plants are the root cause of mishaps which sell water in large quantities.î There are around 25-37 different parameters, followed internationally, which are used to test the product in laboratories. The result of these tests can surely help consumers change the product of their choice if it is found unsafe upon examination. "Each and every one of our license-holder knows the policy, especially about the sale of any substandard product. We advise them to always clearly use our logo of PSQCA on their product and if we find any carelessness in it then they surely face a lot of difficulties as they can be sent to prison or charged with fine or both," said the PSQCA official, who added that this condition is also applicable on shopkeepers and stakeholders and they will face the same punishment if found guilty. Despite these tall claims, many of the PSQCA officials seem to avoid public questions. There is also a blame game going on in the organization where one officer blames the other for shortcomings. In all this, the common consumer continues to suffer. (By Zeeshan Azmat, The News-4, 24/01/2006)
All water sources in 10 big cities contaminated
Out of a total of 345 samples of drinking water, 309 were found polluted with coliform or E-Coli, the second most dangerous bacterium after arsenic. Coliform is, in particular, dangerous for infants, children and those with weak immune system, and may even prove to be fatal. The report observes that almost all surface water sources in the country are contaminated with bacteria. The deep ground water sources are generally free of bacteria because of least seepage influence. The report also blames leakage of water pipelines; clogging of sewerage system; mixing of untreated contaminated water; wrongly located and placed pipelines; and release of industrial, agriculture and municipal waste into fresh water resources as the common causes of water pollution. Contrary to two previous reports on water quality status of Pakistan by the same institution, the current report employs an innovative style to present results: city-specific rather than parameter-specific. , This style is not only more appropriate, but also easier to understand for policy-makers and water-supply managers. Sources in the Ministry of Science of Technology confirmed to The Post that the report, finalised in June this year, has as yet not been officially launched due to unknown reasons. Independent experts in the area of water management opined that the report should be made public without any further delay, so that concerned citizens could make necessary safety arrangements on their own.
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