Participatory Development
Resource Cell (PDRC),
Sakano - Lab, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, Japan
AN OVERVIEW OF COMMON
DISEASES RESULTING FROM ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN KASUR
For
more information please contact:
M.
Atiq ur Rahman
This short report aims to
explain the impact of environmental pollution caused be leather tanning
industry and groundwater pollution in Kasur. This is the summary of a research
conducted by Participatory Development Resource Cell (PDRC), Sakano-Lab,
Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of
Technology, Japan. The objective of this summary report is to bring some basic
facts and realities to the notice of the elected representatives of District
Government, Government Institutions, NGOs and citizens of Kasur so that all
these actors of civil society can play their vital role to over come these
hazards and restore the beauties of Kasur as SOHNA SHEHAR KASUR.
On March 28-29, 2000 1st
International Workshop on Sustainable Development through Participation
was held at Government Elementary Teachers Training College, Kasur. The
workshop was hosted by Hamza Foundation. This workshop was jointly organized by
PDRC Sakano-Lab Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan, Anjuman Faroogh e
Taleem Kasur, Anjuman Ikhwan e Islam Barki, District Bar Association Kasur and
Pakistan Society of Geographic Information Systems (PSGIS). The representatives of several prominent
organizations including UNIDO, WWF, KTWMA, Ministry of Housing Environment
& Physical Planning, JICA's representative for Literacy Commission
Pakistan, District Administration, City and Regional Planning Department
University of Engineering and Technology, Municipal Committee Kasur, BUNYAD
Literacy Council and prominent actors of civil society from Kasur participated
in this workshop. Miss Shaheen Attiq ur Rehman, Provincial Minister for Social
Welfare presided this workshop.
A set of several concrete
recommendations was finalized in this two days workshop under the supervision
of Mr. Malik Meraj Khalid together with Dr. Abdul Rahim Khan, a prominent urban
and regional planner in Pakistan. There was a strong demand to prepare database
on the disease patter and causes of deaths in Kasur since due to lack of data,
no facts about diseases were known to the public or government agencies.
The tanning industry plays
an important role in the export earning of Pakistan but due to haphazard
industrial growth and ineffective implementation of environmental legislation
in last 20 years has converted Kasur as the home town of diseases related with
air and groundwater pollution.
In order to accomplish and
work on the recommendations of this workshop, at the first step, a
questionnaire was designed under the supervision of Dr. Tahir Shehab Hashmi who
is serving as medical officer at Amin Hayat Memorial Medical Center in Kasur.
This medical center is very well equipped and serves the poor people of Kasur
who are mostly the victims of environmental pollution.
In this survey, which was
conducted by PDRC under the supervision of Anjuman Faroogh e Taleem Kasur and
District Bar Association, a total of 2460 people were questioned about their
diseases. This survey covered around 1% of the entire population of Kasur.
Results show that 62% of common residents and 72% of industrial workers were
reported to have one or more diseases linked with polluted ground water or air
pollution near the industrial area.
Here are some of the
prominent diseases found among these respondents:
·
Prolonged
cough for more than 1 month
·
Lung
infection and T.B.
·
Eyes
infections, irritation and quick loss of eyesight
·
Skin
infections and rashes
·
Liver
and abdominal diseases
·
Kidney,
bladder and urine tract infection
·
Weakness
of reflexes and tiredness
·
Strange
noises in ears (like traffic noise)
·
Numbness
·
Malaria
and Typhoid
·
Loss
of memory
The results of the survey
indicate that the most prominent diseases present among residents in Kasur are
linked with the air and groundwater pollution. The groundwater has been
polluted with chromium and other toxic chemicals due to the seepage of
industrial effluents discharged without any treatment, which got the shapes of
big lakes. The ground water is the only source of drinking in Kasur and hand
pumps, domestic motor pumps and tube wells are the major source to fetch
groundwater for drinking purpose.
The most serious matter is
that the patients in Kasur (among respondents) were mostly under the age of 20.
Women and children were the most victims of the pollution. The increasing trend of diseases among youth
is an alarming situation and needs urgent health management actions to be
taken.
According to the report of
Environmental Protection Department (EPD) Punjab, in 1997 the groundwater in
Kasur has been detected extremely polluted with chromium as compared with WHO
standards. Chromium (VI) is termed as carcinogenic (cancer causing). Its
presence in the air as aerosols of chromium and in groundwater can result in
several chronic diseases leading to cancer.
Although tanning industry is
the prominent source of groundwater pollution, but the other sources of
pollution cannot be overlooked. Ponds of domestic sewerage in Kasur are also
among such sources, which are the breeding places for mosquitoes and flies. In
rainy season the situation is even worst and disease like malaria and cholera
are widely observed.
According to the results of
the survey, there were 573 deaths reported in the family of respondents during
last 5 years. The reasons of these deaths in the family of respondents (as
reported by the respondents) were as under:
·
Cancer
·
Paralysis
·
Kidney
and liver failure
·
Fever
(pneumonia, typhoid and malaria)
·
T.B.
and lung failure
·
Still
births
·
Diabetes
(mostly among women)
·
Heart
failure
·
Unknown
diseases
This is necessary to mention
here that the Government of Pakistan together with United National Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) and UNDP launched a project worth US$ 10.147
million for waste management in Kasur. During the construction of the project
the drain channels were also constructed to discharge effluents after treatment
done at the treatment plant. The matter of fact is that during the
construction, most of the highly toxic industrial wastewater has been thrown to
the river Sutlej by utilizing these drain channels. The project seems to shift
problem from one place to another place under the supervision of government and
the agencies involved in this project.
The question is that why
there is no check on this intentional environmental transgression? Why the
Environmental Protection Act 1997 is not practically implemented to check what
has been happening during the construction of this project? Why Enviornmental
Protection Department (EPD) Punjab and Federal Government are silent on this
action of intentionally polluting the river Sutlej while construction of this
project.
This huge project was
submitted for UN Funding with the reason to save human life in Kasur. But why
the presence of chromium in groundwater has not been considered as a matter of
concern? Why there is no consideration about the health improvement by direct
actions? Why there is no information dissemination about ground water pollution
to the people of Kasur by the project management agencies and district
administration so that people can take precautionary measures to save their
life. Why there has no public participation in this huge project where as the
participation of tanning industrial associations is a forced participation and
is termed as ''on the basis of polluters pay principle'' in the
project documents. Although tanning industry is the main source of pollution in
Kasur, the role of tanning industrial associations has proved very cooperative
which is very positive indicator and shows their great concern to solve this
problem.
The report of Enviornmental
Protection Department (EPD) Punjab has been included in this bulletin so that
the citizens, government officials and newly elected public representatives may
realize the severity of the situation and try to find alternate source of water
supply for the citizens of Kasur. There is a need to motivate the general
public so that they can take part in the actions of government to overcome this
big environmental threat to the people of Kasur.
Considering the need of
fresh water quality tests to check presence of chromium, phenol and coliform
bacteria, a comprehensive tests has been conducted in Kasur recently in the
month of August 2001. The city was divided based on the wards of Union Councils
of recently elected representatives and water samples were taken from prominent
places in each ward. The report is under compilation process and will be
published in the next bulletin. In simple
words, from the results this report confirms the earlier report of EPD and
shows high level of chromium in drinking water in Kasur. For example the EPD
report and the current water sample test shows the presence of high level of
chromium in the water used for drinking at District Headquarters Hospital in
Kasur.
The purpose of this fresh
data was to check the presence of chromium in drinking water and to inform this
matter to the elected Nazims and Councilors in Kasur so that they can consider
the matter of provision of alternate source of drinking water for the citizens
of Kasur on priority basis. The use of hand pumps as a source of drinking water
must be prohibited in Kasur, since it contains very high level of chromium.
If the city of Kasur will
not be provided with clean drinking water from alternate sources, there is a
threat that this historical city with unique cultural heritage will loose its
importance and people will migrate to other cities, which will greatly affect
the folk, culture and traditions of this historical city.
The city of Kasur has
produced many famous politicians, lawyers, artists, scholars, journalists and
educationists, but this is true to say that most of these leaders and scholars
are already living in Lahore or in other cities. These journalists, scholars
and politicians should share the responsibility to highlight the environmental
issues faced by the residents of their native city. This is a common trend that
if people in Kasur can afford, they would prefer to shift to another place. The
prominent reason of this shifting is certainly environmental pollution.
Kasur, which is known as the
city of famous saint and poet Hazrat Baba Bullhey Shah (May Allah be Pleased
with him) needs help from NGOs and health provision organizations for safe
living environment.
The reports of PDRC about
environmental situation in Kasur are available at Bullhey Shah Library situated
at Municipal Committee office.
PDRC and ICLC together with
the Committee of Civil Society Organizations for environmental self-governance
in Kasur are willing to establish Environmental Education Centers at schools,
offices of NGOs and other institutions. These centers will help the local
government to increase environmental awareness among citizens so that they can
work together with increased level of community participation to overcome these
environmental threats.
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