Water and sanitation related diseases cost Rs112b per annum

[Naveed Yaseen]

Muhammad Qasim
Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has said that water and sanitation related diseases cost Rs112 billion per annum to the country’s economy and children must be involved in raising awareness regarding water conservation, as they are the true catalyst of change.

The federal minister was addressing an awareness-raising event, organised by Pakistan Institute for Environment-Development Action Research (PIEDAR) in collaboration with Ministry of Environment in connection with the World Water Day at Sir Syed Memorial Society here Wednesday.

Additional Secretary Ministry of Environment Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and senior officials of government development agencies also attended the function that involved school children, teachers and people from different segments of society.

The minister said that water scarcity and its poor management could lead to loss of biodiversity and agricultural production, increase in malnutrition and disease, reduced economic growth, social instability, and conflict.

Based upon the UN Medium Population Projections, he said, more than 2.8 billion people in 48 countries would face water stress or scarcity conditions by the year 2025, adding that stress on water resources comes from multiple sources and its impact could take diverse forms. “Urbanisation, increased population growth, industrialisation, inefficient use of water for irrigation, and dependence of agricultural sector on chemicals and fertilisers has led to the overcharging of the carrying capacity of our water bodies. Deterioration in water quality and contamination of lakes, rivers and ground water aquifers have, therefore, resulted,” he added.

Afridi said that since water is the lifeblood of economy, the government after recognising its importance has placed water and water-related issues at the top of the political agenda and initiated various measures to minimise the threats of water scarcity and associated environmental problems.

Ministry of Environment has finalised the National Drinking Water Policy in consultation with international partners, provincial governments and other stakeholders. The policy would soon be presented to the federal cabinet for approval, he said and added that they have also finalised the quality standards for drinking water.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) concerning water and sanitation, which give the target of halving the share of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 compared to 1990, are likely to be reached. The minister urged all segments of society to direct their efforts towards the conservation and effective management of water, as there is no life without this basic element.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary Ministry of Environment Imtiaz Inayat Elahi said by controlling water wastage, we could help poor segments of society in accessing water.

Chief Executive Officer PIEDAR Ayub Qutub said the infant morality rate in Pakistan is 100 per one thousand, which is much higher than other South Asian countries, adding that these problems are mainly due to water and sanitation related issues. He urged all segments of society to adopt preventive measures to overcome water scarcity and related sanitation issues.

Coordinator PIEDAR Atya Ayub said children are the ambassadors of change and that is why their role in raising awareness on water problems and other environmental issues is of utmost importance.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=169274