March 22, 2005

Islamabad: Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has emphatically demanded the provision of safe drinking water to the citizen as the rate of water born diseases have reached to alarming stage in Pakistan. About 17 percent of the urban and 47 percent of rural population do not have access to clean drinking water. Approximately 60 percent of infant deaths are due to water born diseases. 30 percent of all reported cases of illness like hepatitis, diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery, etc. and 40 percent of deaths in Pakistan are attributed to water born diseases. One hundred million cases of diarrhea are being registered for treatment in hospitals of Pakistan each year. The quality of the ground and sea water is deteriorating due to unbridled contamination by municipal and industrial water. This was stated by Mian Abrar Hafeez, Secretary General CRCP, while deliberating on the World Water Day (WWD).

WWD is celebrated all over the world on March 22 declared by the UN General Assembly in 1992. Beginning since 1993, civil society organizations and governments used the day to raise public awareness about issues of water conservation. This year theme of the World Water Day is "Water for Life." and marks the beginning of the UN's International Decade for Action on Water.

While commenting on the availability of drinking water in Pakistan, Mian Abrar Hafeez dismayed that citizens in Pakistan faced a catastrophic condition. He termed the report by Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources (PCRWR) on this regard an eye opener. The report says that per capita water availability has dropped from 5,600 cubic meters to 1,000 cubic meters. Out of 21 cities, 50 percent of samples in 17 cities were found unfit for human consumption. In most of cities the water table is falling from one to ten feet every year. While another report by PCRWR on "Quality Analysis of Bottled/Mineral Waters 2003-04" says that out of 22 brands of bottled water available in market, six were found contaminated with bacteria, seven brands with arsenic while the other seven brands had higher sodium contents.

Mian Abrar Hafeez stressed the need for effective, efficient and equitable management of the available water resources by involvement of all stakeholders in making decisions on how to best share, supply and protect water. He demanded the enactment of Safe Drinking Water Act, enforcement of National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) on industrial and municipal water and nomination of an independent agency with legal status for frequently monitoring of mineral/bottled water brands.