The number of Kidneys patients in Bahawalpur are increasing due to arsenic presence in drinking water, a quality report prepared by the authorities has confirmed that 62% of groundwater in the Bahawalpur region is not drinking water due to increased arsenic contamination.
The Pakistan Water Research Council’s water analysis report based on 550 samples collected from Bahawalpur found that only 38% of the water sources were found to be drinking water, with the rest containing arsenic levels above the prescribed limit.
Dr. Zeeshan Rauf, a senior physician at Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur, told that the ward has seen an unusual increase in the number of kidney patients and the main cause is contaminated drinking water.
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The situation is getting serious!” he warned. According to him, a separate renal department should have been set up at Victoria Hospital to treat the growing number of patients.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), arsenic is one of the top ten chemicals in public health. The organization has warned that the semi-metal is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes and infant mortality.
“It has also been associated with an increase in mortality in young adults due to multiple cancers, lung disease, heart attacks and renal failure,” highlights a WHO statement. In addition, several studies conducted around the world have shown that arsenic exposure adversely affects cognitive development, intelligence and memory.
Some citizens complained that elected MPs from the area did not care about the issue. On the other hand, the authorities cite reduced groundwater supplies as the main reason for the increase in arsenic concentration in the region.
Experts say Bahawalpur lost its main source of running water, the Sutlej River, after the Indus Waters Treaty, which maintained its healthy mineral content through the water flow. This could have contributed to an increased concentration of arsenic in aquifers.
Earlier, the Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government announced the construction of a Sutlej Lake to compensate for the reduced water availability, but the project never materialized.
An official claimed that the government would soon start a project to improve water loss. To warn citizens, the authorities painted water supply systems such as hand pumps and reverse osmosis (RO) systems red if water is not drinking water and green if it is drinking water.
According to sources, there are 32 RO filter systems in the city, but most are okay or poorly maintained. Currently, all RO systems installed in Bahawalpur are unable to remove the large amount of arsenic from the groundwater.
Chemical engineers propose “Double Pass RO systems” to remove arsenic from water, among other things.
Commissioner Bahawalpur Captain (retired) Zafar Iqbal, who was recently hired, says he is gathering all information on the matter to resolve it as soon as possible.
Balancing and properly maintaining the water filtration system can save citizens from various diseases,” he said. The semimetal and its compounds are also recognized as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The agency also recognizes developmental effects, diabetes, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease as harmful effects associated with long-term inorganic arsenic intake. It is worth noting that in Bahawalpur the annual number of kidney patients has risen to 130,000, while the number caused by hepatitis B and C has risen to 60,000.
