It is rightly said by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, that more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war, in a message to mark the World Water Day.
The importance of this phrase cannot be overlooked, especially in Pakistan, where nearly 38.5 million people lack access to safe drinking water and diarrhoeal diseases alone account for 9 percent of deaths.
Losses due to water borne diseases are difficult to quantify but it has been estimated that water, hygiene related diseases and sanitation cost Pakistans economy about Rs112 billion per year, according to the World Bank.
On top of that, the most alarming fact is that there are a number of unsafe commercial water bottle brands being freely sold in the market. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) identified 16 commercial water brands unsafe for drinking from a sample of 42 brands available in market, according to the latest bottled water quality report.
There are chances that shortage of portable water will become more acute in the near future because per capita water availability itself is declining, forecasted to fall to 659 cubic meters in 2025 from 1200 cubic meters in 2000, according to Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency.
Taking into consideration the growing drinking water shortages, escalating population, scarcity of funds and lack of public awareness regarding water purification methods the easiest, low cost and rational solutions at this point of time are to promote the use of low cost water cleansing methods, such as water boiling, safe storage practices, use of chlorine and iodine and lessons regarding prevention of water pollution, through public service messages.
Besides, solar water disinfection system can also be employed to pasteurize water owing to availability of indigenous resources and its affordability, according to a research conducted by University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The same is also recommended by the World Health Organization as a viable method for households.
People living in rural area can capitalize on the benefits of rain water harvesting, primarily in water scarce regions. In this regard, PCRWR has carried out 92 rainwater harvesting systems on pilot scale in the Cholistan desert. The results were satisfactory since it brought a revolution in the socio-economic uplift of the community and saved million of rupees during the recent drought.