CLEAN DRINKING WATER AND FUTURE PROSPECTIVE

S. Ali; F. H. Farooq; G. Abbas; Z. Hussain; M. S. Anwar; R. I. Ahmad; F. Naz; M. Hussain; H. Nawaz; M. Shaukat; H. Shaukat; M. W. Sindhu; M. A. Sindhu

Water is one of the most important and vital substance on earth. Without water, there would be no life on this planet (earth). Around 20% of the human population planet has access to quality drinking water. Pakistan is listed 6th highly populated country on the earth having about 207.81 million individuals. Punjab is the most populated province of Pakistan with 110 million people. Contamination of drinking water is the most burning issue of the country. Industrialization, increase in population, intermixing of sewer in pipelines of drinking water and improper utilization of water compromise the quality and decrease the quantity of water. The physical, chemical and biological parameters of water have great detrimental effects on health. Water borne diseases in Pakistan are typhoid, diarrhea, cholera etc. The impact of poor sanitation and hygiene also have adverse effect on tourism, thereby affecting the economy of the country. Government Departments and Agencies are actively working through different interventions like chlorination to ensure facility of clean and quality drinking water to people. Chlorination is a process which is adopted to inactivate pathogens in water. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and Punjab Food Authority (PFA) conduct sampling and testing of the bottled water companies on periodical basis. Government of Punjab has established Aab-e-Pak Authority under Punjab Aab-e-Pak Act, 2019 for the provision of clean, safe and quality drinking water. Punjab Water Act, 2019, a comprehensive law on the subject has been passed but not implemented. Pakistan is also facing water insufficiency, water quality deterioration and demolition of freshwater resources. The world best practices regarding clean drinking water have also been analyzed. Keeping this in view, the short term, medium term and long term plans have been devised for the provision of clean and quality drinking water and improved sanitation facilities to the masses.