ISLAMABAD – The fast pace of urbanisation is a big challenge for the provision of safe drinking water in Pakistan thus the country is confronting serious challenge of depleting water resources.
Environment Director General Javaid Ali Khan said this while addressing a national workshop to commemorate World Water Day. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Habitat, Pakistan Institute for Environment Development Action Research (PIEDAR) and non governmental organisations (NGOs) on Tuesday.
The director general said the water availability per capita had decreased at an alarming rate and the challenge was further aggravated by groundwater pollution and depletion, rapid urbanisation and growth of urban slums and squatter settlements. He added that most of the water supply gets contaminated in transmission or in handling at home or in the water tanks and containers.
He added that diarrhea and many other deceases were caused by the contaminated water, bad sanitation and poor hygiene practices. Mothers in the urban areas of Pakistan reported that 11 percent of their children fell ill with an episode of diarrhea in the previous month.
Talking about the theme of the day “Water and Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge”, he said the theme gave them a direction to move for the betterment of the people and added that this year they had decided to observe the day as a demonstration of Children-Led initiatives for water purification at point of use.
