Wastewater Fast Becoming Serious Hazard To Ecosystem : Secretary S&T

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Sep, 2016 ) : The management of used water in form of domestic and industrial wastewater is fast becoming a serious hazard to ecosystem, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Fazal Abbas Maken said.

He was addressing an inaugural session of a one-day workshop on Water Quality Situation in Surface Water Bodies of Pakistan (Ravi & Sutlej) here on Wednesday. The workshop was organised by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in collaboration with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).

He said annual wastewater generation in Pakistan is more than 5 Million Acre Feet (MAF), out of which hardly less than 1% are treated. The untreated wastewater is being disposed off into the river system which is a serious threat to entire ecosystem.

As for handling the situation and improving waste water management, he informed that present initiative of PCRWR envisages monitoring quality of major rivers of Pakistan through a joint collaboration with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

This information would help understand health of the rivers and suggest strategic management measures accordingly. In his remarks, Acting High Commissioner of Australia, Jurek Juszczyk said the High Commission has partnered with PCRWR to launch this groundwater report.

This study has been conducted under Australia Pakistan Indus Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP), a 12-year regional programme focused on Water-Food-Energy connection in three large river basins in South Asia.

Australia's scientists are working with Pakistan's hydrologists to effectively manage Pakistan's water resources. He hoped that the data collected in this report can be used not only by water managers but the broader community including for sewage management, agricultural development and industry.

Earlier Chairman PCRWR, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf said intensive use of agro chemicals and untreated effluents from industry are potential source of environmental pollution, especially with respect to water quality.

"Let us try to give our best and make individual contributions to not only developing new sources of water on sustainable basis but also to improve and protect the existing sources from undesirable pollutants to ensure a healthy and disease-free society, which can contribute positively to national development," he said.

Participants from Academia, Provincial Environmental Agencies, WASAs, Public Health Engineering and Health Departments, Chemical Industries, Pak Commission on Indus Water, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and US Embassy attended the workshop.