UmarJustice
FULL MEMBER
New Recruit
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2012
- Messages
- 50
- Reaction score
- 0
Civil Society activists have demanded government to ensure safe drinking water accessibility for all and also asked political parties what their election manifestos and pre-election announcements are in the regard.
Pakistan is a country, where only 30 percent of the total population has access to safe drinking water.
Health And Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) GM Information Communication Bilquis Rehman said that access to safe drinking water is a basic human right, declared in 2002 by the United Nations. She said it is the responsibility of the state to provide everyone sufficient, safe, acceptable and affordable water for personal and domestic use.
Addressing a press briefing at Karachi Press Club, she said, "Surface and ground water pollution is a major environmental concern posing serious threat to human development, and the costs related to unsafe water and poor sanitation are huge and distract long term economic growth," she said.
Pakistan under Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7 on environmental sustainability, has committed to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
By giving references of 2005 Pakistan's Network for Consumer Protection survey report she shared that only 60 percent of urban populations had access to municipal water. Much of the water piped into homes contained bacteria or chemicals that exceeded the government's (voluntary) safety standards for tap water.
She further said that almost 40 percent of the total deaths in Pakistan are due to waterborne diseases, according to a National Conservation Strategy report. Moreover, as per a WHO report, patients suffering from waterborne diseases occupy 32 percent of hospital beds in Pakistan.
As per a recent PMA study, water contamination level in Karachi is very high and out 600 samples collected from taps in Korangi, North Karachi and other towns not a single one was fit for human consumption.
The urban poor face the dual problem of water and sanitation facilities, with only Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) responsible for supplying water and sewerage services to 20 million residents.
Over a period of time, the KWSB's performance graph has been showing a steady decline in terms of quality of services due to multiple reasons. One of the main contributing reasons defined by Rehman for growing customer dissatisfaction was the lack of institutional adjustments required to meet the challenges faced by rapid and uncontrolled population growth and urbanisation.
She shared the findings of a survey that stated Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulberg town are best served and Gadap and Bin Qasim town are worse in terms of water and sanitation services. Many high officials from public and private sector reported in HANDS survey that minimum standard is 25 gallon per person, but schemes are designed at 20 per capita.
Moreover, the quota for the city is the same as it was 10 to 15 years ago. Government officials said that the metropolis receives 645 million gallons per day (Mgd) water supply, which should be 1000 Mgd.
Rehman said there is a need for proactive public action to reform the inadequate social welfare policies.
Later HANDS GM of Monitoring and Evaluation Infrastructure Development Rubina Jaffery informed media that keeping in view the above situation, a 4-year mega project for the provision of safe drinking water in three Union Councils of Gadap town has been initiated with Water Aid's financial support.
She said a survey conducted by HANDS reveals that water is supplied for only 7.5 hours per day to Gadap Town, with an average of 15.2 days in a month. She further said that 89.5 percent people use pipe water for drinking, while the remaining have to buy water, of which, 5.1 percent purchase bottled water and the remaining 3.6 percent prefer water tankers.
Jaffery further shared that through this project 134,900 people will get benefited and will receive safe and sustainable water supply.
She said under this project a complain centre has also been established in the district within the KWSB local office, through which complaints will be entertained by water board. Under this project 500 schools of these UC's will be provided facilities of hand wash and toilets, and students trained about self-hygiene and use of safe drinking water. Whereas, the inhabitants of the three UC's will also be sensitised about good hygiene behaviours and practices related to water.
At the end of the press briefing it was emphasised that all efforts from civil society are limited because of resource constraints, but they can establish models, which the government can adopt.
Only 30% in Pakistan drink safe water - PakTribune
Pakistan is a country, where only 30 percent of the total population has access to safe drinking water.
Health And Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) GM Information Communication Bilquis Rehman said that access to safe drinking water is a basic human right, declared in 2002 by the United Nations. She said it is the responsibility of the state to provide everyone sufficient, safe, acceptable and affordable water for personal and domestic use.
Addressing a press briefing at Karachi Press Club, she said, "Surface and ground water pollution is a major environmental concern posing serious threat to human development, and the costs related to unsafe water and poor sanitation are huge and distract long term economic growth," she said.
Pakistan under Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7 on environmental sustainability, has committed to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
By giving references of 2005 Pakistan's Network for Consumer Protection survey report she shared that only 60 percent of urban populations had access to municipal water. Much of the water piped into homes contained bacteria or chemicals that exceeded the government's (voluntary) safety standards for tap water.
She further said that almost 40 percent of the total deaths in Pakistan are due to waterborne diseases, according to a National Conservation Strategy report. Moreover, as per a WHO report, patients suffering from waterborne diseases occupy 32 percent of hospital beds in Pakistan.
As per a recent PMA study, water contamination level in Karachi is very high and out 600 samples collected from taps in Korangi, North Karachi and other towns not a single one was fit for human consumption.
The urban poor face the dual problem of water and sanitation facilities, with only Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) responsible for supplying water and sewerage services to 20 million residents.
Over a period of time, the KWSB's performance graph has been showing a steady decline in terms of quality of services due to multiple reasons. One of the main contributing reasons defined by Rehman for growing customer dissatisfaction was the lack of institutional adjustments required to meet the challenges faced by rapid and uncontrolled population growth and urbanisation.
She shared the findings of a survey that stated Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulberg town are best served and Gadap and Bin Qasim town are worse in terms of water and sanitation services. Many high officials from public and private sector reported in HANDS survey that minimum standard is 25 gallon per person, but schemes are designed at 20 per capita.
Moreover, the quota for the city is the same as it was 10 to 15 years ago. Government officials said that the metropolis receives 645 million gallons per day (Mgd) water supply, which should be 1000 Mgd.
Rehman said there is a need for proactive public action to reform the inadequate social welfare policies.
Later HANDS GM of Monitoring and Evaluation Infrastructure Development Rubina Jaffery informed media that keeping in view the above situation, a 4-year mega project for the provision of safe drinking water in three Union Councils of Gadap town has been initiated with Water Aid's financial support.
She said a survey conducted by HANDS reveals that water is supplied for only 7.5 hours per day to Gadap Town, with an average of 15.2 days in a month. She further said that 89.5 percent people use pipe water for drinking, while the remaining have to buy water, of which, 5.1 percent purchase bottled water and the remaining 3.6 percent prefer water tankers.
Jaffery further shared that through this project 134,900 people will get benefited and will receive safe and sustainable water supply.
She said under this project a complain centre has also been established in the district within the KWSB local office, through which complaints will be entertained by water board. Under this project 500 schools of these UC's will be provided facilities of hand wash and toilets, and students trained about self-hygiene and use of safe drinking water. Whereas, the inhabitants of the three UC's will also be sensitised about good hygiene behaviours and practices related to water.
At the end of the press briefing it was emphasised that all efforts from civil society are limited because of resource constraints, but they can establish models, which the government can adopt.
Only 30% in Pakistan drink safe water - PakTribune
