HYDERABAD: The Sukkur bench of the Sindh High Court has observed that Indus river water has become completely polluted and is no more fit for human consumption nor even for any living thing for that matter.

It said that release of municipal wastewater, industrial runoff and hospitals’ waste had made the river water highly contaminated, hence, administrators were ordered to affix penaflex near treatment plants in district headquarters and taluka headquarters cautioning that the river water was not fit for human consumption unless boiled.

The division bench comprising Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Abdul Mobeen Lakho on Wednesday directed chief secretary of Sindh to form a committee comprising secretaries of health, irrigation, public health engineering, industries, planning & development and Sindh Environmental Protection Agency that would ensure that polluted water was not disposed of into the river.

The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by one Qurban Ali, who was represented by Qurban Ali Malano and Shafiq Ahmed Babar Leghari. The petition pertained to quality of river water and Sukkur city’s sewage being released into the river.

It said the committee would be provided with terms of reference, particularly in view of the study carried out under orders of Water Commission. Therefore, federal secretary of the ministry of water and power should also be on board, it said.

The court said that besides, the administrator of Sukkur would affix this penaflex near the treatment plants highlighting condition of water in view of reports that polluted water was used after boiling. Photographs showing installation of penafelxes be submitted to the court on next date of hearing, it said.

The order, authored by Justice Panhwar, said that Indus river started from Skardu and after passing from provinces fell into Arabian Sea. Since the entire river water was polluted the federation was required to get involved in the issue, it said.

The bench directed federal secretary of the ministry of water sources to inspect Indus river from Skardu to borders of Sindh down to the sea and release of polluted water of drains, chemical waste, residential waste and hospitals’ waste into the river within two months. Besides, it said, the committee would submit progress reports every two months.

According to the detailed order, the court had issued directives on Feb 9 to authorities concerned for examination of Indus river water, quantity and quality of water treatment plants. Samples of raw water were taken from Indus and treated water plants respectively.

The AAG submitted a report, showing different sites of drainage water falling into the Indus without treatment. Reports of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKU) Karachi, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Ministry of Water Sources, were submitted which the court viewed as alarming.

The order said that it had come on record that the river water had become completely polluted by release of municipal waste, industrial runoff and hospitals’ waste, hence it was not fit for human consumption nor even for any living thing.

PHE chief engineer told the court under orders of the water commission the river was studied completely and 828 points were found of disposal of municipal, hospital and industrial waste. Accordingly, directives were issued with regard to diversion or treatment plants and different other projects in phase-I & II.

He said that they established 17 laboratories and procured equipment but laboratories were not functioning due to non-approval of SNE(s). The matter had been lying with Sindh finance department for more than six months, he said. Admittedly, said the court, water commission issued appropriate directives but Sindh government failed to complete the projects within time.

The bench said that the findings were alarming and Sindh government had failed to provide pure and clean water to people. Besides, it said, irrigation authorities had failed to look after Indus river and its canals.

The court said according to the CE all wastewater of Multan was being released into Chenab which later fell into Indus through Panjnad, ultimately polluting the river which was the only source of irrigation for Sindh. At present, the river had turned into a dumping site for municipal, industrial and hospital waste, it said.

The court instructed the secretary of PHED to pursue summary of SNEs for 17 labs with finance department and asked the department to approve it within 15 days.

The court adjourned the proceedings to Feb 28.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2023