KARACHI: Despite tall claims about taking effective measures to keep naegleria fowleri in check, the civic agencies concerned have done little to save precious lives as water being supplied to the city is shockingly unhealthy and prone to help the ‘brain-eating’ amoeba to attack unguarded humans, it emerged on Sunday.

A subcommittee comprising the provincial and city health departments, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, public health engineering department etc has been working since May to collect and test samples of water supplied to the city and take efficacious measures to improve its quality.

The group has so far worked as a reporting body is busy in collecting and testing the samples, which is evident from the fact that the figures it released in the end of June are disturbingly unsatisfactory. The group’s tasks include keeping chlorine at ‘desired levels’ across the metropolis which is yet to be achieved.

The same month naegleria claimed two more lives at the time when the group had just started its proceedings. The last death was reported on June 27 — the day the group reported that most of the city’s towns were 30-43 per cent chlorine deficient.

The latest report shows that the officials collected samples of water from various parts of the city and found that several samples in 10 out of the 18 towns contained chlorine less than 0.25 parts per million (ppm) — a minimum desired level of chlorination.

These towns included Baldia, Orangi, SITE, Lyari, Korangi, Landhi, Liaquatabad and Gulberg. The latest 32-year-old victim belonged to Nasir Colony of Korangi Town.

According to sources, in the remaining eight towns, the samples showed water supplied had 10-20pc chlorine deficiency.

“The figure shows that half of the city is being supplied with satisfactorily chlorinated water,” said an official belonged to the group.

The rest of the city had insufficient amount of chlorine. Some samples showed no chlorination at all, said the sources.

The sources said that the focal group started sampling and testing at the end of May and the results of the samples — collected till June 26 — have been shared with Dawn.

The officials admitted that the results were highly alarming showing stationary improvement to what they had faced last year despite incessant claims by the authorities.

“The situation is not improving. Everyone has to contribute one’s due share to make it happen. Not a single body, but every authority is responsible for the lack of commitment,” said a senior official.

The sources said the samples collected belonged to almost every neighbourhood of the city.

The authorities understood that chlorine was available in a sufficient quantity but a proper strategy was still lacking.

The officials said the samples collected from a number of graveyards and several mosques did not have any chlorine.

The primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is defined in medical literature as a rare but typically fatal infection caused by Naegleria fowleri — an amoeba found in rivers, lakes, springs, drinking water networks and poorly chlorinated swimming pools.

These germs travel through the nasal cavity and only affect the brain. The illness attacks a healthy person, three to seven days after exposure to contaminated water with symptoms of headache and slight fever, in some cases associated with sore throat and rhinitis (commonly called stuffy nose).

Naegleria fowleri had fatally emerged in May 2012 and continued to affect and kill people till October. It killed at least 10 people in Karachi in 2012 and three last year, according to official records.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2014