Regrettably, there are 80 million people in the twenty-one upper and lower Sindh districts that do not have access to safe drinking water.
Therefore, significantly increasing the coverage of rural water supply in upper and lower Sindh districts is fundamental to achieving many of the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Without safe water near to dwellings, the health and livelihoods of families will be severely affected; children’s education too suffers as the daily tasks of survival take precedence over all other concerns.
However, the deterioration in the quality of groundwater due to the Right Bank Outfall drain (RBOD) and Left Bank Outfall drain ( LBOD) which drain out the industrial and chemical waste in various upper and lower Sindh district needs immediate attention to avert the catastrophe.
Elevated concentrations of naturally occurring elements in water such as arsenic and fluoride, in my home district Larkano, are having catastrophic impacts on health and fertility of the rich agrarian soil.
Pitiably, the previous successive regimes did nothing to mitigate the impacts. Is there anyone in the present corridors of power and politics to direct the concerned departments both federal and provincial to take corrective and constructive steps to save millions of lives in Sindh province?
The provincial and federal governments and international organisations as well are appealed to launch “Northern and Southern Sindh Quality Drinking Water Schemes” at the earliest. The sooner, the better.
Otherwise, millions of people will have to die premature deaths due to deterioration in the quality of groundwater in the upper and lower Sindh districts.
HASHIM ABRO
Islamabad
