Peshawarites Suffer As Rapid Urbanization Deteriorates Sewerage System

The scene is not very difficult to comprehend as the sewage channels were clogged and filled with foul-smelling slush flushed out from houses in the densely populated area of Peshawar while the poor sewerage system had exposed its residents to fatal waterborne diseases

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2023) The scene is not very difficult to comprehend as the sewage channels were clogged and filled with foul-smelling slush flushed out from houses in the densely populated area of Peshawar while the poor sewerage system had exposed its residents to fatal waterborne diseases.

The overflow of sewerage channels is caused due to rapid urbanization, especially in overpopulated areas in the interior city including Shahdhand, Ganj and Kohati mostly inhibited by low-income people.

The locality Shahdhand which was adjacent to the somewhat beautiful, planned and affordable locality of the provincial metropolis Gulbahar, is considered unsuitable for living due to the huge excavation of mud that was procured to brick kiln situated on Phandu and Kohat roads.

The rapid urbanization due to massive influx from suburban areas of the city led to a multitude of problems including sewerage issues linked to numerous health hazards. “When we had acquired a house on rent at Shahdhand few years ago as it was less populated and the living environment was far better as compared to the present situation that adversely affect its inhabitants owing to overflow of drainage water channels with bad smell everywhere in streets,” said Meraj Yousaf, an employee of estate agency while talking to APP.

“We were extremely happy due to the availability of all basic amenities including electricity, water and gas but we are not at ease due to the worsening sewerage system.” The situation has changed completely after the area became overpopulated due to an influx of people from suburban localities including erstwhile Fata and other tribal districts who made Peshawar their abode to find employment, schools and colleges, healthcare services and seek better economic opportunities for their loved ones, he said.

“The main problem in our locality is continuously deteriorating sanitation conditions due to massive urbanization and inadequate sanitation services.” He said the rusted water pipes at Gunj, Kohati, Sikandar Town, Deh Bahadur, Nauthia Qadeem and Nauthia Jadeed exposed Peshawarties to waterborne diseases and demanded for its immediate replacement.

“Poor sanitation and contaminated water caused by urbanization lead to different waterborne diseases including diarrhea, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery and hepatitis A that may prove fatal, especially for children and elderly citizens,” said Dr Malik Riaz Khan, senior medical officer, government hospital Pabbi Nowshera.

He said about 60 percent infant and children deaths were caused by diarrhea while the cholera fatality rate is 25-5- percent and that every 16th minutes, a person dies of hepatitis, mostly due to drinking unsafe water in Pakistan.

He referred to a research study undertaken by UNICEF with the support of the Government of Pakistan between January and November 2020, ‘one driver of Water and Sanitation Challenges (WASC) is the rapid growth in population — Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world with 2% annual growth and investments in water and sanitation services are barely keeping pace in the wake of rapid population growth and cities’ extension.

The proportion of Pakistanis living in urban areas has increased substantially, from 17.

7% of the population in 1951 to 36.4% in 2017 which created challenges of unmanaged urbanization and poor sewerage system.

The Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP) study has revealed that Pakistan was expected to have 15 cities with population of over one million people within the next 15 years, and by 2030 it is estimated that Karachi and Lahore’s population would reach approximately 28 and 15 million respectively with challenges of water sanitation and sewerage system.

Hassan Khan, a spokesman of Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) said the high-rise buildings lack sewerage mechanisms that cause overflow of water in street water channels besides the entrance of flood water in houses. He said encroachment in water channels was another form of rapid and unplanned urbanization creating sewerage problems, adding the encroachment appears slowly with an imperceptible pace disturbing the already disjointed infrastructure of sewerage leading to a variety of problems. The increased microbial contamination of sewerage has made the situation worse and created health-related hazards like typhoid, hepatitis and many gastric diseases, he said.

Sawal Nazir Khan, caretaker minister for rural development in a statement said KP cities improvement project (KPCIP) has been launched to provide clean drinking water, a congenial environment and quality sewerage services to people. He said KPCIP was aimed to redesign and reconstruct the existing dilapidated drainage system that would significantly improve the management of sewerage and stormwater and prevent flooding in the cities of KP.

The government of KP with financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank was executing multiple projects including KPCIP in the five divisional headquarters of Peshawar, Mardan, Mingora, Abbottabad, and Kohat to modernize municipal services.

The project aims to enhance the livability and community health of the five cities through the construction of clean water supply treatment facilities, sewerage treatment facilities, and the rehabilitation of dysfunctional tube wells.

Sawal said an integrated waste management system would be established in big cities to ensure collection, safe transportation, segregation, and scientific disposal of waste in a sanitary landfill cell besides covering of wastewater channels.

The projects will involve the installation of flow meters, supervisor control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to ensure water quality and better sanitation services. He said the existing rusted pipes would be replaced with leak-proof water supply lines and addressing the issue of water leakage.

Sawal Nazir said the projects would focus on treating wastewater and utilizing it for irrigation purposes or returning it to water bodies. Under the project, the rehabilitation of the British-era Lady Garden on modern lines will create a climate change-resilient environment and promote the well-being of the community. Over 3.5 million people will benefit from improved access to clean water, reliable waste management and sanitation services, green urban spaces, and gender-friendly facilities.

APP/mds-fam/taj (APP Feature Service)