Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Following the recently conducted water quality tests by the Water Quality Control Cell (WQCC) on the instructions of the Mayor, Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC), only 26 water sources were found safe for health, while 29 water sources including the filtration plants of the posh sectors of the federal capital were found unsafe and unhealthy.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of interest by the relevant authorities the citizens of Islamabad are still apprehensive of drinking unsafe water.

It is worth mentioning here that Islamabad was declared as the Capital of Pakistan in 1960, since then, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the recently formed Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) have been absolutely failed to tackle this problem as according to the survey reports, the ratio of the citizens of Islamabad has increased by 30 per cent more sick than in the past 60 years.

Almost every month, the particular issue of dirty and unsafe water would come to surface and the media also highlight this issue. But, regrettably the authorities still are in slumber and not ready to pay any heed to resolve this issue.

The big-claims of the IMC have been also proven hollow in this regard as the mayor of Islamabad after being elected vowed that his first priority would be to provide safe drinking water to the citizens.

According to a report, available with Daily Times the population of more than two million people of the federal capital is at stake due to unsafe water.

The report said that out of 55 water sources for citizens in the capital, only 26 filtration plants, tube wells and water pumps, overhead tanks had been providing secure water including the filtration plants of I-10/4, I-10 Markaz, I-10 Green Belt, I-10/2 Chambeli Road, G-9/2, G-10 Markaz, G-10/2, Aiwan-e-Sadr, Parliament Lodges, Diplomatic Enclave, Bari Imam and F-6/1.

It has been learnt that 29 filtration plants and tube wells have been providing unsafe, dirty and contaminated water including various types of bacteria which are extremely injurious to health, These include the filtration plants of; I-8/3, I-8 Green Belt, I-9 Mangal Bazar, G-6/2, G-7/3-1, G-7/4, G-7/2, Sitara Market, G-7/2 Ali Masjid, G-8/1, G-8/2, I-10/2 Alkhidmat, F-9 Park, G-11/2, G-11/3 and G-6/1-4 Aabpara.

Presently, the tube wells which are providing contaminated water are, tube well nos. 117 (I-8 Green Belt), 236 (G-8/2) and 99 (G-11/2). The tube-wells which are providing safe water include 116 (I-9), 210 (G-8/1), 196 (G-9/3), 100 (g-11/3) and 151 (G-9/2).

The water pumps, overhead tanks of I-8/2 and I-10/2 are providing unsafe water while the water pumps of G-9/2, I-8/3, I-8/4, I-8/1, I-9, G-7/4, G-6/2 and I-10 Markaz are providing unhealthy water to citizens.

However, in the whole episode of testing the samples, the water of Simly filtration plant was found safe for drinking purposes.

A previous year report of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) stated that polluted water was being supplied to the citizens of Islamabad from 28 out of 33 filtration plants.

Water samples of 11 filtration plants were also tested in a CDA laboratory on February, 25, 2016, which revealed that seven out of these 11 filtration plants were providing contaminated water.

While talking toDaily Times, Dr. Waseem Khawaja, spokesman of PIMS, said that polluted and contaminated water spread fatal water borne diseases like cholera, Hepatitis A and E, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid. These diseases were very dangerous to health, he added.

It is equivocal that the Public Relation (PR) Directorate of the CDA had issued a press release onMarch 11 this year and claimed that the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Ministry of Science and Technology had declared the water being supplied from the water filtration plants of the CDA was fit and safe for drinking purposes as per health standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The question arises that only after a span of 4 months, why were the water filtration plants providing unsafe and contaminated water?”, a citizen Malik Saleem asked.

Contacts with Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz could not be made as this scribe called him for his stance at his official number. Sources privy to the mayor claimed that after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued a stay order for the transaction of employees from the CDA to the IMC and gave the next hearing date of August 25, the mayor was depressed and not attending the calls.