Syed Arsalan Ahmed Naqvi  ( Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. Pakistan )
Mohammad Zeeshan Haider  ( Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. Pakistan )

Madam, Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan and is currently facing serious water issues. A major problem in the city is water shortage. However, the quality of drinking water is not up to the mark either. The metropolitan city has seven water filter plants and all of them failed to produce water as per World Health Organization (WHO) standards.¹ The quality of drinking water is assessed through physiochemical and microbiological parameters and when all the parameters lie within the permissible limits, the water is then deemed fit for drinking purposes. According to WHO drinking water should have zero colony forming units (cfu) per 100 mL. ² The consequences of drinking bedeviled water are serious health problems. The presence of E. coli or coliform bacteria in drinking water can lead to diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid. On the other hand, the presence of physiochemical contaminants such as arsenic can predispose a person to various central nervous, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal diseases while fluoride can cause dental disorders and crippling fluorosis. Excess of nitrates in drinking water can lead to goiter, diabetes, blue baby syndrome and possibly bladder cancer. ³ Unfortunately, people in rural localities of southern Sindh are drinking ground water as they cannot afford to have bottled water from private water systems. ^4,5Numerous surveys in Karachi and southern Sindh have showed that drinking water was physiochemically and microbiologically contaminated and was not fit for drinking.^3-6 The predominant factor leading to the contamination of drinking water is cross-connection between sewage (faecal) and drinking water supplies. Other factors contributing to the contamination of drinking water include, rapid industrialization and growing population, dysfunctional water filter plants, and mixing of raw untreated water with treated water.^1,3-6 In conclusion, Southern Sindh including Karachi is undergoing an epidemic of infectious diseases such as the ongoing Typhoid epidemic, which may be due to consumption of contaminated food and water. Hence, there is a dire need of taking adequate steps to ensure the safety of drinking water, which can be achieved by restoring flawed water filter plants, ameliorating sewage infrastructure, and conducting monthly qualitative assessment of drinking water. Public awareness campaigns should be held, educating people about general hygiene, water contamination, water-borne diseases, household chlorination and use of boiled water.

Disclaimer: None to declare.

Conflict of Interest: The authors report no conflict of interest.
Funding Disclosure: None to declare.

References

1. The State of Water in Sindh. [Online] 2019 [Cited 2019 April 08].

Available from: URL: https://www.dawn.com/news/1473198.

2. WHO, author. Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. 2nd Edition.

Vol. III. Geneva: Surveillance and Control of Community Supplies. [Online] 1997 [Cited 2019 April 20]. Available from: URL:

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/small-water-supplies-guidelines/en/ 

3. Soomro ZA, Khokhar MIA, M Hussain, W Hussain. Drinking water Quality challenges in Pakistan. Lahore: Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, 2011; pp 17-28

4. Memon M, Soomro MS, Akhtar MS, Memon KS. Drinking water quality assessment in Southern Sindh (Pakistan). Environ Monit Assess. 2011; 177: 39-50.

5. Khan MA, Rahman A, Lee HK. Domestic water contamination in rapidly growing magacities of Asia: Case of Karachi, Pakistan. Environ Monit Assess. 1997: 44: 339-60.

6. Alamgir A, Khan MA, Hany OE, Shaukat SS, Mehmood K, Ahmed A, et al. Public health quality of drinking water supply in Orangi town, Karachi, Pakistan. Bull Env Pharmacol Life Sci. 2015; 4: 88–94. DOI:10.5455/JPMA.44638