ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) Monday pointed out that 79 per cent water samples in rural areas of Punjab are unsafe and only 21 per cent samples were safe when compared with Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

According to sources in PCRWR, water quality monitoring in rural ares of 12 districts of Punjab was conducted recently.

This monitoring programme was conducted in 49 tehsils, 1227 union councils and 2090 villages.In total 10,440 water samples were collected and evaluated by conducting field and laboratory analysis.

Water samples found unsafe in Attock were 89 per cent,Bahawalpur 93 per cent, Faisalabad 90 per cent,Gujranwala 75 per cent, Gujrat 84 per cent, Kasur 79 per cent, Lahore 69 per cent,Multan 94 per cent, Rawalpindi 83 per cent, Sargodha 88 per cent, Sheikhupura 65 per cent, while in Sialkot 55 per cent water samples were found unsafe.

Important water quality parameters that is bacteriological contaminations,turbidity,total dissolved solids,nitrate,Flouride and Arsenic exceeding PSQCA water quality standards were found in the water samples of the rural areas of Punjab.

As far Khyber Pakhtunkhwa( KP) is concerned,93 per cent water samples were unsafe and only 7 per cent samples in rural areas of KP were safe when compared with PSQCA water quality standards.

According to official figures available, 99 per cent water samples in Abbottabad, 80 per cent in Mardan,93 per cent in Mingora while 97 per cent water samples in Peshawar were found unsafe.

PCRWR report further revealed that 72 per cent water samples in rural areas of Sindh were found unsafe and only 28 per cent samples were safe.

Overall,82 per cent water samples in Hyderabad,48 per cent in Sukkur and 95 per cent in Karachi were found unsafe when compared with PSQCA standards.

As far Balochistan is concerned,1465 water samples were collected and evaluated by PCRWR.

It was found that 99.7 per cent samples were unsafe and only 0.3 per cent samples were found safe.Water samples found unsafe in Quetta were 89 per cent,Khuzdar 100 per cent,Loralai 100 per cent and Ziarat 100 per cent.

Data analysis shows that worst water quality situation is in Balochistan, followed by KP.An overall data analysis revealed that 82 per cent water samples collected from rural water sources were unsafe and only 18 per cent of the total water samples were within the PSQCA permissible safe limits of drinking water.