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Pakistan Water Pollution

JUL 18, 2011

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Pakistan Water Sources

Results of the Final Green Quiz

2011

The main water sources in Pakistan are rivers, glaciers, rainfall and groundwater. The

The Crown Green Angels Study

rainfall pattern is extreme due to the varied topography of the country. Average rainfall is

Trip to Denmark

between 50 to 1000 mm but in the isolated northern mountains it may exceed 2000 mm.
On the other hand the dry areas receive less than 125 mm on an average. Almost 75% of
the country receives less than 250 mm annually. The rainfall is dependent on the two

My Environment & My Planet

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monsoon seasons, the most important being the Southwestern monsoon between June to
September. The high temperatures mean that there is high evaporation, which leads to
loss of water everywhere. Pakistan occupies the basin of three major rivers, which is of
considerable importance to the country. Indus (70% of total land area), Kharan closed
basin (15% of the total land area) and the Makran coastal basin (15% of the total land
area) are the three basins, with the Indus basin representing the largest potential. It
mainly draws its water from snowmelt and precipitation. The surface waters of the rivers
have not been exploited, as they are seasonal and irregular. The Indus Water Treaty
(1960) between India and Pakistan has restricted Pakistan's access to the water in the
Indus basin, to the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.
The combined annual average flow of these and River Kabul is 178 bil cu m ( Asim R.
Khan, M. Kaleem Ullah, Saim Muhammad ). The country also boasts the largest contiguous
irrigation system in the world, comprising the Indus, its tributaries, 19 barrages and
headworks, and 43 canals (Dr. Noor Ahmad Memon- The News- Rawalpindi Islamabad26/01/98). Around 90% of the food and fibre production depend on irrigation. Irrigated
land is 82.3% of the total arable land and surface water is mainly relied upon for
irrigation. The irrigation water available per irrigated acre has risen to 35% from the

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1960s. Out of the water tapped from the Indus basin, only 30% actually reaches the roots
of the crop. The majority is either lost in canals or when it is being applied to the fields

Categories
Recent
About
(PNCS- Where we are, where we should be and
how toPosts
get there). 90% of the groundwater
is already being used through tube-wells. In any case, groundwater has a higher salt
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Many people like to talk about the environment

content. When it is used in fields it leaves behind a high level of salts after evaporation, as something separate to the human race but we
thus
increasing
soilEnvironment
salinity. According
Kids Action
to Restore

to certain
researches,
operational
Results
of the Final Green
Quiz 2011water losses areare as much a part of the environment as any

50 60% with the majority occurring in fields, canals and water courses (The News
Learning & Knowing

Crown Green Angels Study Trip to Denmark

Islamabad-26/01/98). Considering Pakistan's The
environmental
scenario, it becomes

other creature on this planet. Plants are as vital

to our breath as our lungs are, healthy rivers are

increasingly
obvious that water issues are theMymost
pressing. Human health, agriculture, as important to our survival as is reproduction,
Pakistan Environmental Issues
Environment & My Planet
rangelands, forests, water bodies, and aquatic life, in fact the whole ecosystem is

and we need to start looking at our world that

affected by problems associated with water. Not only is there a scarcity of drinking waterway. Read More...
but pollution of water bodies by effluents from industries and the sewerage system have
compounded the problem.
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Freshwater Pollution Chemical waste

Almost all chemical waste is dumped untreated into the river system from where it is
taken out to sea. A large number of industries discharge deadly and toxic waste into
storm-drains, open nullahs or in the Lyari and Malir rivers. These include leather tanning
units, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, refineries, chemical, textile, paper and pulp,
engineering works and thermal power plants. The Lyari River has become a putrid and
toxic gutter due to discharge of effluents. Solid waste also finds its way into the water
system. The first environmental assessment study in the country was conducted at the
SITE industrial area to record the effect of industrial wastewater on Karachi's vegetation
(Dr. S.A. Qadir). The chemical analysis revealed that there were traces of heavy metals
such as chromium and nickel in the vegetable samples. Invariably, this showed that the
industries were not using any pollution control measures whatsoever. Untreated industrial
waste is not only affecting the environment but ultimately is also having its toll on the
country's health, by polluting the water bodies. This renders them useless for human
consumption and irrigation. Consequently, it is responsible for the many water borne
diseases that plague the country and account for 60% of infant deaths. The industrial
waste is also used to irrigate some vegetable and fruit farms that have cropped up in the
Korangi Industrial Area. These fruit and vegetables show a presence of metals and other
toxins. A study conducted by IUCN suggests that spinach from Korangi farms contains as
much as 87.48 mg/l of chromium (Bhagwandas Dawn 7/01/98), a lot more than that
harvested in other areas.

Sewage
The discharge of sewage and contaminated water in rivers and water bodies not only
affects marine production, use of such water for agriculture results in the contamination
of the food chain. In Pakistan, sewage water is re-channelled to irrigate crops, which
contaminates them with pathogens. As a result 50% of the crops are contaminated.
Groundwater may also be contaminated by untreated sewage. Water borne diseases are
the largest killers in the country and health problems resulting from polluted water cost a
large amount of money. Karachi produces discharge of wastewater of 300 mil gallons per
day and Lahore 240 mil gallons per day. There are three sewerage plants in Karachi but
they are able to treat only 45 MGD (15% of the total wastewater). Of particular interest
are the rivers Ravi and Kabul. They have sustained life for thousands of years and the
historical city of Lahore is based around the Ravi. Today, Lahore and Peshawar discharge

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their wastewater into these rivers increasing their BOD level to 193-100mg/l for Ravi. The
level allowed by the NEQS is 80 mg/l! There is an annual loss of 5000 tonnes of fish catch
from this river. No life exists in it for 7 miles downstream.

Agricultural run-off/pesticides
Indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilisers ensure that agricultural run-off from fields
also contributes to water pollution. Extensive use of agricultural chemicals has already
started affecting aquifers. The climate of the country ranges from heat, humidity and
rainfall, either resulting in arid lands or providing favourable conditions for irrigated
agriculture. This in turn means a thriving pest population. Estimates suggest that around
one-third of the yield is destroyed by pests or disease (Karam Ahad and Dr. Yousuf Hayat
Khan -The News, Rawalpindi Islamabad, 12-01-1998). To overcome this problem,
pesticides have developed into a major agricultural product (80 % are used on cotton
alone). Introduced in 1954 at the onset of the green revolution, pesticide consumption in
Pakistan rose from 3677 metric tonnes in 1981 to 14745 metric tonnes in 1991. In rupee
terms this equalled 4581 million rupees. By 1996 this had gone up to 43219 metric tonnes,
Rs. 9987 million (Karam Ahad and Dr. Yousuf Hayat Khan -The News, Rawalpindi
Islamabad, 12-01-1998). An exhaustive study conducted by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations found that pesticide use in Pakistan increased
1,169 percent between 1981 and 1999. When DDT (Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane) was
first made in the 1880s it was considered a 'magical' insecticide.
Chemist Paul Miller introduced it for the first time in 1938, an act that resulted in a Nobel
Prize for him. At that time it helped to save millions of people from typhus and malaria
(Karam Ahad and Dr. Yousuf Hayat Khan -The News, Rawalpindi Islamabad, 12-01-1998).
Insecticides and pesticides thus became popular both as fight against diseases as well as
saving crops from pests. It took around forty years to strike, that these substances also
had side effects after Racheal Carson published Silent Spring, in 1962. It soon became
apparent that new pests with greater resistance were emerging in addition to soil, air and
water being contaminated and predators of the pests being eliminated. The environment
and biodiversity of the planet was being destroyed which ultimately might have more
adverse consequences. A World Health Organisation (WHO) study revealed that two
million people suffered from pesticide poisoning and 40,000 die per year. Most of these
were from developing countries, which have been urged to buy pesticides from
corporations from the developed world. The pesticides are carcinogenic and mutagenic
causing sterility, low fertility, skin cancer, immune and hormonal system disorder. In
Pakistan, pesticide residues have been found in water, soil and even food commodities.
The situation is worse here because many of these are either sold under generic names or
are fake and adulterated.

Marine Pollution
The seas have been used as dumps for ages, mainly due to the misconception that they
are so large, whatever is put into them gets diluted. However, the truth of the matter is
that most of the contaminated water entering the sea has a density different to that of
the natural seawater. This means that it does not mix and in fact settles down at the
bottom of the ocean as sludge, which may be 1.5 foot deep in certain areas (Bhagwandas
Dawn 7/01/98). Much of the water from the rivers finds its way down to the sea, taking
with it all the toxic effluents. There have been major changes in the coastal environment

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in the last 200 years. Some of them are due to natural causes such as the gradual change
in course of the River Indus, which moved to the southeast of Karachi. Main causes are
diverting the water of the river for irrigation and extensive pollution. The coastal
pollution is mainly confined to the Karachi Harbour, which encloses an area of 62 km 2. It
stretches from sandspit in the west to Chinna Creek in the east. A variety of effluents
from domestic sources, and waste from visiting ships (estimated 2,500 annually) all
contribute to the depressing state of the harbour especially around the Manora Channel.
The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) uses 150,000 gallons of seawater for cooling.
Liquid waste and hot water from the plant is subsequently discharged into the sea.

Domestic sources of marine pollution: Metal scrap

Oil and liquid waste from fish processing plants

waste

Rust from shipping yard

Industrial effluents

Solid

Spillage of grains

Visiting ships: Waste oil

Deck washing

Garbage Oil:

It is estimated that 90,000 tonnes of oil products from vessels and port terminals are
dumped into the harbour every year. In addition, there is also the threat of oil pollution
from other countries especially the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. Sewage: An
estimated 200 million gallons (Environmental Assessment and Protection of Karachi
Harbour, Neville Burt 1997) of raw sewage enters Karachi harbour mainly through Lyari
River and Chinna Creek. There is no non-saline (freshwater) input except for the local
run-off from rainfall.

Solid Waste
Plastic bags are found all over the harbour and are not only an eyesore but also damaging
to marine life. A wide-diversity of garbage including wood and plastic are also apparent.
The garbage originates from the municipal waste and port activities. Water circulation
and wind driven currents concentrate this in certain parts of the harbour, making it
unsightly and dangerous to ships as it can get stuck in propellers. It can be expected that
there is also significant amount of solid waste, which will have sunk to the bed of the
harbour (Environmental Assessment and Protection of Karachi Harbour, Neville Burt 1997).

Toxic metals
According to a PCSIR (1999) study, huge amounts of toxic metals have been found in the
marine life, such as fish, lobster, crabs and shrimp. The metals include mercury,
cadmium, chromium, lead, arsenic, and zinc. Many of these metals are carcinogens and
can cause genetic deformities and other fatal diseases. They are mainly released by the
industrial estates. Hardly 2% of these industries have the facilities to treat their effluents
before releasing. The results of all of these pollutants are that microorganisms (planktons)
consume them and they enter the food chain. An IUCN study of fishmeal (made of locally
caught fish) used as feed for poultry discovered that it had 33 ppm of chromium. High
levels of chromium were found in chicken and eggs as well (Bhagwandas Dawn
7/01/98).
Tags: Pakistan, Pollution, Water

1 Comment

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+ ADD COMMENT

Sarah July 19, 2011 at 6:20 AM

Its really great to find such an informative website on Environment Protection.
Please keep the good word continue.
Best regards
Sarah -

9/24/2012 9:30 PM