Water Pakistan

A draft drinking water act was prepared for the federal legislation , at Health Services Academy, Islamabad in 2007,

Two Sessions were held to accommodate representatives from all over Pakistan.

Not much is known about the follow up  progress.

And not many stake holders are aware of this three years old development.

To read full text , please follow this link
http://www.hsa.edu.pk/aboutus/news/2008/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Final%20Draft%20SDWA.pdf

M Jahangir

Islamabad

Providing Pit Latrines in shallow water area of Sind

Endangering Human Lives by Contaminating Ground Water

Water, the basis of all life, human well-being and economic development, linking together, for better and for worse, all aspects of life on this planet, human and environmental health. Safe drinking water is basic human right as acknowledged globally. Poor water quality is the most important cause of poor livelihood and health. Pakistan attempt to raise the living standards of its citizens has meant that economic development has largely taken precedence over environment issues and taken many initiatives like CDWA for the provision of safe drinking water to the Pakistani people.

More recently, when monsoon rains hit and flooded Pakistan, water, at one point covered 20 percent of the country’s total land area. A flood of this magnitude impacts an entire generation. The scene of death and destruction in Pakistan almost paint a picture of a near apocalypse. Scattered dead bodies of humans and animals, destroyed homes reveal human beings powerless against the forces of nature, me being a student of environmental sciences decided to work for the betterment of poor communities and start working as volunteer with an organization for the provision of water and sanitation facilities in one of the worst affected area of south Sindh. I feel that we are putting our people on risk by making poorly designed pit latrines in areas where ground water level is high.

In areas such as Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Kushmore, Shadadkot, Kamber …where many international and local NGO’s were working aimed at providing clean drinking water and

sanitation facilities to the flood affected population. In emergencies the humanitarian

organizations conventionally construct pit latrines for the provision of sanitation purpose. The

design of the Pit latrines are sketched keeping in view the parameters such as soil structure, average ground water level, depth of the Pit etc. The conventional pit latrines lack in performing the desired outcome where the ground water level is high. As the human waste infiltrates the ground water and thus contaminates the ground water.

Human waste may contains many types of pathogens that is viruses, protozoa’s and bacteria’s. The presence of these pathogens is potential threat to human health. On the contrary the implementing organizations are constructing these conventional Pit latrines and therefore contaminating ground water and these heart throbbing facts are being ignored by the responsible Government agencies and donors, who are responsible for the suffering of flood afeectees rather than facilitating them they are increasing risk to their health.

Some of the international organizations working in the area are pretending to serve the humanity but in truth they are poisoning the innocent lives by making poorly designed latrines with soakage pits where water table is high up to 4ft and the pit designed mostly of 6ft deep. What it means? We are mixing shit to our drinking water which endangers the lives of innocent people.

Where is our national drinking water policy? Where are international standards for latrine construction? Where are SPHER standards? Where are WHO guidelines? All standards & guidelines are being violated just to implement the activity and show the utilization of funds. Where is humanity being claming humanitarian organizations?

We are putting the nation on risk rather than helping the needy ones. In fact poorly designed pit latrines or latrine with soakage pit in water logged areas in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan will bring miseries’ to innocent lives who are already struggling through after effects of floods. I being Pakistani citizen want to know who is responsible for all the above mentioned problems? Who is taking the responsibility for contaminating our drinking water today which will ultimately suffer our next generations for years and our dream of having safe drinking water will not become true.

I request to all WASH experts and relevant government agencies to stop the construction of pit latrines in water logged areas and think about well designed latrines to ensure that water will not contaminate. Please step forward to save water and our coming generations.

Regards,

A worried Son of Pakistan

Dear Colleagues

Please see my new blog “What could possibly come out of Cancun? At FAN
website

https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#search/scope%40scope.org.pk/12cc4185cf133a07

http://www.freshwateraction.net/content/what-could-possibly-come-out-cancun

look for the following issues how they are decided in next 3 days;

- Whether to continue Kyoto Protocol (KP), which is a binding agreement for
emission reduction and supported by developing countries. Its first round of
targets or commitment period ends in 2012, and to decide on the length of
second commitment period of the next round of targets, for example whether
to 2017 or 2020. As I reported in earlier blog Japan is not in favour of
continue the KP because still very few countries have ratified it

- Decision on whether to cancel surplus, tradable emissions credits owned by
countries that are well below their 2008-2012 Kyoto targets. Credits are
called assigned amount units (AAUs) Emissions targets

- Decision on setting up new national targets either under the 1997 KP or
the 1992 U.N. climate convention, or both

- Some industrialized countries do not like KP, as so far it has only
controlled the emissions of developed countries. A way out may be to note
new targets in an appendix to KP and the convention

- Refer to a long-term goal, for example to limit warming to less than 2
degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F)

- Mention the widely held scientific view that emissions targets pledged so
far are too weak

- Review in 2013-2015 whether targets need strengthening Measurement

- Measurement, reporting and verification (MRV)

- Agree to measure developed country emissions, for example annually, and
also their contribution to climate aid funds

- Agree to measure developing countries greenhouse gases and their actions
to slow emissions growth, perhaps every two to four years

- Agree common accounting standards, for example on measuring carbon
emissions from forests

- A political agreement to pay tropical countries not to clear natural
forests, called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD)

- Launch a program to set rules

- Delay decision on whether to include the scheme under an existing market
in carbon offsets called the clean development mechanism (CDM)

- Agree safeguards for wildlife and indigenous peoples i.e. Green fund

- A political commitment to establish a new long-term fund to help
especially the least developed countries cut carbon emissions and prepare
for climate change

- The fund would articulate with a commitment countries made in Copenhagen
last year to raise $100 billion annually by 2020

- Launch a program to decide the board structure including the split between
developed and developing countries

- Link new sources of financing, including the proposed new green fund, as
well as “fast-start” funding of $30 billion from 2010-2012 agreed last year
in Copenhagen

- Create a disaster relief mechanism, to help countries which have suffered
extreme weather events

- Launch a “technology mechanism,” including establishing regional
technology centers in developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa