Major pollutants in main rivers and streams of Pakistan & their causes

Major pollutants in main rivers and streams of Pakistan

and their causes

Water Pollution:

Water pollution is the introduction of chemical, biological and physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consume it.

The source of water pollutions:

Some of main contributors to water pollution are:

Ø  Factories

Ø  Refineries

Ø  Waste treatment facilities

Ø  Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers

Ø  Human sewage

Ø  House hold chemicals

Ø  Animal waste

Ø  Mining

Ø  Oil spills

Municipal Sewage:

It has been estimated that around 2000 million gallons of sewage is being discharged to surface water bodies every day in Pakistan. (PAK-SCEA 2006)

It is estimated that 50% nationally (less than 20% in many rural areas) with only about 10% of collected sewage is effectively treated. Water supply lines conditions in Pakistan

Industrial Water Pollution:

Most industries in Pakistan are located in or around major cities and are recognized as key sources of increasing water pollution in natural streams and rivers

Major industrial contributors to water pollution in Pakistan:

Ø  Petrochemicals

Ø  paper and pulp

Ø  food processing

Ø  Textile

Ø  Cement

Ø  Fertilizers

They produce more than 80% of total industrial effluents.

Sugar cane base industry:

A major cause of industrial water pollution due to discharge of water containing high pollutants concentrations.

In Pakistan, only 1%  of waste water is treated by industries before being discharged directly into rivers and drains.

Tanneries:

It may take hundred or even thousands of years for pollutants such as toxic metals from tanneries to be flushed out of a contaminated aquifers.

 Provinces of Pakistan: 

1) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:

In K.P.K 80000 m³ of industrial water effluent containing a very high level of pollutants are discharge everyday into the river Kabul.

2) Sindh:

In Karachi, Sindh Indutrial Trading Estate (SITE) and Karangi Industrial & Trading Estate (KITE), two of the biggest industrial estates in Pakistan, there is no effluent treatment plant & waste containing hazardous materials, heavy metals, oil etc is discharged into rivers.

3) Punjab:

In Multan, a fertilizer factory discharges its waste untreated to cultivated land causing death of livestock and increasing health risk to humans. (WB-CWRAS Paper 8,2005)

In Lahore, only 3 out of some 100 industries using hazardous chemicals treat their wastewater. Biological oxygen Demand (BOD) levels in water courses receiving these waters are as high as 800mg/l & mercury levels over 5mg/l.

In Faisalabad, one of the biggest industrial cities, there is little segregation of domestic and industrial wastes.

Agriculture Water Pollution:

The contribution of agricultural drainage to overall contamination of the water resources exist but is a marginal compared to industrial and domestic pollution.

Fore example in Sindh, the pollution of water due to irrigation is only 3.21% of the total pollution. (SOE 2005)

Existing Water quality Conditions of main rivers of Pakistan and their Comparison to international Standards

Ravi River:

Pollution in the River Ravi is the highest compared to all the rivers in Pakistan. Most wastewater discharges in the river reach between Lahore and Balloki, a length of 62 km. The river presently receives 47% of the total municipal and industrial pollution load discharged into all the rivers of Pakistan. The BOD in the river, after receiving Lahore municipal discharges, is estimated to be 77 mg/l on the basis of its mean annual flow. Between Lahore and Balloki, the river is completely devoid of DO under low flow conditions and simply acts as a sullage drain. At Balloki, the river water quality improves through augmentation of flow from the Qadirabad Ballokii Link canal. Here the BOD values are low (2.3 - 3.9 mg/l), DO ranges from 6.2 to 8.2 mg/l, TDS are between 98 and 225 mg/l and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) varies from 0.1 to 0.55. At this point, the river water meets the quality requirements for irrigation water. The high levels of faecal coliforms are, however, of concern for other water uses. Data collected for the last 20 years under the GEMS water quality project indicates a decreasing trend in DO level and an increasing trend in BOD and TDS levels observed in the river water.

The Hudiara drain is also a major source of pollution for Ravi. It enters Pakistan loaded with pollution from India, is diluted with agriculture runoff and mixed with some industrial pollutants in Pakistan. The drain carries mainly industrial and agricultural waste from both India and Pakistan. The average values recorded at the time Hudiara enters Pakistan and at the confluence of Hudiara with Ravi are shown in the table. It is seen that the main pollutants, BOD and COD, are diluted in Pakistan. It may also be mentioned that the average effluent flow in Hudiara is much higher from India and hence the total quantity of pollution in Hudiara drain from India is much more compared to that from Pakistan.

Siran River   (Khyber Pakhtunkhawa)

Variations in water quality of Siran river were analyzed in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) province of Pakistan. The water quality was studied at eleven sites at upstream and downstream in Siran valley during 2009 to 2010. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of the samples were measured; moreover, possible sources of contamination were analyzed. The study showed that the pollution level in Siran river is rising because of discharge of domestic waste water effluent, agricultural activities and solid waste dumping directly into the river. The major contaminant found in the Siran river was fecal contamination, signifying the release of domestic waste water into the river without any treatment. Other parameters measured included chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolve oxygen (DO), pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total hardness (TH), total phosphorus (TP), total (nitrate + nitrite) nitrogen (TON), SO42-, Cl– and Escherichia coli. The mean values of the measured parameters were compared with National Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards.

The water quality of the Siran river is deteriorating due to several factors; most noteworthy is the anthropogenic activities like, agriculture, industry, domestic use of water and discharge into the river without any pretreatment. The sampling sites near populated cities like S-7 and S-8 were found to be most contaminated; this load is more prominent in summer as compared to winter. Pollution load in summer is due to the fact that most of the summer in upstream hill stations are most populated due to population migration from hot areas to upstream for agriculture and other activities. During the present study, it was also observed that there is no treatment of wastewater from industry or domestic sewage in the region before safe discharge into the river which is reflected in the high value of E. coli. Most of the parameters shown for Siran river are in acceptable range except TSS, COD and E. coli, and hence cannot be used for drinking purpose; however, other water activities can be performed easily.

Possible Solution and Suggestions:

A number of factors need to be highlighted and addressed in order to improve, protect and maintain the quality of freshwater resources of the country. Theses factors include;

i. Government Priorities:

As evident from the information presented in the report, the treatment of sewage and industrial effluents seems to be a low priority with the Government. According to reliable sources about 7,200 kanals of land allocated to WASA Lahore for wastewater treatment has remained vacant and not been used for the purpose. WASA is now disposing of that land to other organizations for different purposes.

Weak Law Enforcement and Compliance:

Even when there are relevant laws in the country like PEPA 1997, their enforcement is extremely weak and therefore the level of compliance is low particularly in the industrial and housing sector. There is a need to develop some sort of integrated land use planning to regulate particularly the housing sector. Weak enforcement of law can also be judged with the fact that environmental tribunals are not even functional in the country. Strong law enforcement and compliance is necessary for the protection of freshwater resources. One appreciates the recent decision of the Supreme Court demanding that Environmental Tribunals must be functional in all provinces by January 8, 2007.

iv. Water Policy:

Although relevant policies like National Environment Policy, National Water Policy (Draft), National Drinking Water Policy (Draft) etc. are in place, there is no clear strategy devised so far to implement them. A clear and practical strategy needs to be defined to implement these policies. In addition to the above, the provision of water and sanitation services in Pakistan is inadequate, inequitable, and highly inefficient. The services are mainly provided by the public sector. These services generally fail to meet water quality standards and are unable to provide adequate sanitation needs of a growing population.

The major reasons why these service providers have failed to perform are;

- Confusion of social, environmental, commercial, and political aims

- Poor management structures operating without clear policy guidelines

- High capital investment needs with low or no rate of return

- Resistance to achieving full or even partial cost recovery 

- Decentralized water agencies with service responsibility but little resources

- Political interference at most levels of operation

- Non-existent regulator

- Lack of proper legal framework

- Lack of platforms for contribution by concerned citizens

Strengthening of institutions and capacity building;

One of the limitations of service providers in Pakistan is poor public sector management and limited skilled human resources. There is little incentive and motivation for workers to improve their performance. They complain of resource constraints and feel frustrated due to constant political interference. There is a need to enhance human resources management by evolving a system of merit based selection, training, performance evaluation and motivation. The role of

concerned citizens needs to be formalized through mechanisms such as ‘neighbourhood citizens committees’ to monitor the performance of relevant Government employees.

 Improving financial sustainability;

Sustainable cost recovery is essential in creating a stable framework to enable service providers to maintain an acceptable level of water quality and quantity, and to provide adequate sanitation facilities.

 Making better and more efficient use of funds;

The Government of Pakistan only contributes about 0.2% of the GDP to this sub-sector for both urban and rural development. This equates to only 0.8% of total Government expenditure on public health facilities. With this situation in mind, water and sanitation providers being mainly public sector organizations, there is a great constraint in providing the quality of service expected. However, whatever little funds become available, have to be spent in the most efficient manner.

 Getting our own house in order to attract foreign investment;

There is need for further investment to keep the existing infrastructure intact by continuing rehabilitation and asset replacement. Most of the urban water supply and sewerage systems are old and decrepit. Physical leakages in water supply distribution systems are high, often accounting for the loss of more than 40% of water production. Underground sewerage 

networks, likewise, are in a state of disrepair in most cities and towns resulting in sewage leakages and consequently pollution of underwater aquifers and water supplies. Government funding is limited and competed for by numerous other sectors. To meet even a fraction of

the capital investment requirements, finance will need to be drawn from other sources. These sources include foreign aid, commercial loans, and private investments. However, investing in a financially unsustainable, totally inefficient organization is naturally not an attractive proposition.

 Better water management practices - reuse, conservation etc.

With financial constraints and a water resource problem across the country, it is imperative that the service providers move towards better water management practices. In addition,

water conservation, re-use, and industrial water recycling are areas that are considered crucial in any water scarce country. Better management practices can also be used in agricultural sector such as switching from high delta crops to those crops requiring less water inputs etc.