KARACHI, Sept 26: Almost the entire population of Karachi and half of Thatta are drinking toxic-ridden water as untreated industrial water is being disposed of into the KB (Kalri Baghar) upper feeder canal, the main source of supplying water to the city from River Indus.

Confirming that over 14 million people of the city were drinking water containing toxics, metal and ions, sources in the KWSB confided to Dawn on condition of anonymity that a chemical test had showed that consumption of this water could ultimately, though slowly, cause harmful effects on kidneys, liver, brain and other organs.

Of the total 465 million gallons of water being supplied to Karachi from both the Indus and the Hub dam sources, 455 mgd is being received from the Indus source and the remaining meagre quantity of 10 mgd from the drying up Hub dam reservoir.

“In fact, industrial units set up at the Kotri industrial area are poisoning our drinking water with effluents which are directly being discharged into the KB feeder canal through a stormwater drain situated between Jamshoro and Kinjhar Lake. These toxic contents cannot be eliminated during the various purification stages at the KWSB’s filter plants; they ultimately reach consumers in the city”, said the sources.

Of the Kotri industrial area’s untreated effluent being disposed of into the KB feeder (upper) canal and the city’s industrial area’s untreated water, the sources said that in Karachi effluent from the industries was being disposed of into the sea and was not being used for drinking purposes, whereas the KB feeder’s (upper) canal was the main source of the city’s drinking water.

Endorsing the apprehensions of the KWSB’s officials that the water was being mixed with the industrial effluent of the Kotri industrial area, head of the Sindh Medical College’s pathology department, Prof Serajuddaula Syed, said that contaminated water would lead to all kinds of diseases, particularly of the lungs, kidneys, liver, brain and the cardiovascular system. Besides, he said, it would accelerate the aging process because industrial effluents usually contain all kinds of toxic waste, particularly heavy metals.

Stressing the need for immediately getting tested the toxic elements being discharged into the canal, Dr Seraj, who is also president-elect of the Cancer Society of Karachi, said if the toxic waste contained lead it was bound to cause two disasters — mental retardation among children and loss of patience and excessive anger among adults.

“And if there is mercury in the toxic waste, it will cause damage to kidneys and brain... And if it is arsenic toxic, it will cause liver cancer”, he said

The sources said the KWSB had reportedly written a letter to Sindh’s additional chief secretary of the planning and development department, drawing his attention to the alarming issue.

Through the letter, copies of which have also been sent to the Sindh governor’s principal secretary, the city Nazim, the provincial secretary local government and the director-general Environmental Protection Agency, the ACS has been requested to direct SITE to immediately stop discharging the Kotri industrial area’s untreated effluent into the KB feeder and, as a short-term measure, convert the discharge, at present on the gravity basis, to the overflow basis to allow retention time in the available barren lands for the purpose of settlement or sedimentation.

This, coupled with permanent strong electrically operated screens and girt chamber before discharge, will ensure the removal of toxic material to some extent.

However, as a solution the KWSB has urged establishment of a well-equipped industrial treatment plant by M/s SITE for treating industrial effluent and ensure its discharge into the Right Bank Outfall Drainage (RBOD), for direct discharge into the sea.