The discharge of industrial waste in the Qadirabad-Bulloki Link Canal has proven to be lethal for aquatic life as it continues to cause mass fish kills, a private media outlet reported Monday.
According to reports, the discharge of untreated industrial waste has turned rivers and canals of the province into a dumping pit, causing serious health and environmental hazards. Moreover, the fish caught from the canal are unhygienic and unfit for human consumption.
Sheikhupura is one of the major industrial centres in Punjab with hundreds of factories, including textile, chemical, food processing, pulp and paper, poultry, dairy, plastic, paint, pesticides, leather, tanneries and pharmaceuticals, contributing to environmental pollution.
The industrial waste from the factories in Farooqabad and surrounding areas being disposed of in the canal without treatment has only added to the mess.
The fish caught from contaminated waters of the canal being sold in local markets is resulting in disease outbreaks whereas untreated water for agricultural purposes is also resulting in waterborne diseases, reports said.
The entire municipal waste from the city is collected through a network of drains and discharged into the rivers and canals without any treatment, increasing pollution levels with every passing day.
According to various studies, high metal contents and arsenic level has also been discovered in groundwater which coupled with contamination of sewerage has put the health of millions at risk besides further burden on the trembling health infrastructure.
