Drinking arsenic in Thar
MITHI: In a far flung village in Thar, residents are demanding better options for clean drinking water.
Their demand is simple, they are asking the Sindh government to install more Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in their villages spread over six tehsils of Mithi, Islamkot and Nagarparkar tehsils.
“Hundreds of villagers in the area are forced to make do with unclean water,” says Ali Akbar Kumbhar, a resident of Mohario village in Diplo tehsil.
Kumbhar laments the deplorable condition of his area, where clean drinking water is scarce and waterborne diseases are becoming increasingly common.
Over 1.3 million people live in Thar’s 2,500 villages. So far, only 400 RO plants have been installed and many of them do not function properly. The plants desalinate the otherwise blackish water, which villagers draw from deep wells.
The water is ridden with arsenic and fluoride, resulting in the spread of chronic diseases among residents. While children are the most susceptible to these diseases, malnourished women and elderly persons also get infected. Many end up losing their lives.
An outbreak of diseases
Dr Mohan Lal, a child specialist who works at Mithi Civil Hospital, expresses his concern at the link between water shortage and the death of children.
“Persistent drought has resulted in numerous waterborne diseases,” he says. “And eventually leads to the death of infected children.”
In regions where water is provided through RO plants, Lal says the incidence of diseases dysentery, typhoid, diarrhea and gastro has drastically reduced.
Pak Oasis has installed 400 reverse osmosis plants in the region’s villages, including Asia’s biggest plant which is installed in Mithi. The entire project cost Rs5.4 billion — an expense taken up by the Sindh government.
“More villages should be provided with water from such plants to avoid the outbreak of diseases,” Lal recommends.
With government hospitals being allocated higher budgets, Lal feels that immediate focus should be placed on providing clean water to Thar’s impoverished families and their animals, whose infected produce the families consume.
Nonfunctional plants
Others claim that while some plants have been installed but local officials are not maintaining their upkeep and looking after them properly.