SUKKUR: A water quality assessment has raised serious concerns over public health in Ghotki, with 247 out of 337 samples collected across the district found unfit for human consumption, according to a report submitted to the Sindh High Court’s Sukkur bench on Tuesday.
The report was presented by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) during the hearing of a petition concerning the alleged discharge of untreated industrial and polluted water from factories in Punjab and Ghotki into underground water sources.
According to the PCRWR findings, its team collected 337 water samples over a period of one month from different locations across Ghotki. Of these, 247 samples failed to meet standards for safe human consumption.
The report also highlighted a major limitation in the assessment, stating that PCRWR officials were denied access to factories. As a result, the team could not collect samples directly from the water allegedly being discharged by industrial units.
The two-member bench, comprising Justice Arbab Ali Hakro and Justice Muhammad Usman Hadi, directed that copies of the report be provided to the petitioner and sought objections, if any, before the next hearing.
Petitioner’s counsel Shahnawaz Waseer argued that the findings confirmed that water in several parts of Ghotki posed a serious threat to public health.
The court subsequently adjourned further proceedings until October 8.
