Daily Times

KARACHI: Despite the arrival of holy month of Ramzan, Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB) water pumps are lacking chlorination in the city. This could expose citizens to deadly Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the ‘brain-eating’ amoeba, Daily Times learnt Friday.

The lethal amoeba, which survives on the bacteria in warm waters and enters the human brain through nasal cavity and eats up its tissues, could only be eliminated through proper chlorination or boiling of water.

Germ could potentially approach the victim’s brain through nasal cavity during ablution at home or in mosques where water supplies were not safely chlorinated.

As per details provided by the committee, comprised of provincial health department and other civic agencies, to check the chlorination level at the ‘desired level’ across the metropolis, 30 KWSB water pumps found lacking standard level of chlorination.

“These water pumps lie in areas like Orangi Town and North Karachi,” said Dr Zafar Mehdi, focal person on the government facility for prevention of naegleria.

However he said so far the situation has remained satisfactory at swimming pools, farm houses and hotels at near Sohrab Goth areas which are private bodies.

Citing the example of previous years, Dr Mehdi said the situation was much better. “Take example of last year where some parts were even found lacking 90 percent chlorination. Likewise in year 2015, situation was so worse that parts of Karachi were lacking 97 percent chlorination,” he added.

“Although situation is not completely satisfactory but it was getting better,” Dr Mehdi added.

He said KWSB had been intimated in this regard for many occasion to improve the chlorination in the water supply.

Up to 80% of the city’s water is pumped to homes through a 10,000 km network of pipelines, and the rest of the city is supplied through tankers.

The leakages are causing a loss of around 25% of the total water available in the system. The underground water pipeline supply in the city has become outdated. For the last 25 years no new pipeline has been installed despite the city’s growing population.