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ill-treatment MOOD
STREET Town
Talk research Entertaining
new ideas
ill-treatment Health directly related to clean water Most of the gauges used to chlorinate water at tubewells, are out of order. Right amount of chlorination is essential for health
By Aoun Sahi Chlorine is effective, affordable and widely available
for disinfecting drinking water. It is by far the most commonly used
disinfectant in all regions of the world. It is proven that chlorine helps
to eliminate waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery.
Chlorine also eliminates slime bacteria, molds and algae that commonly
grow in water supply reservoirs, on the walls of water mains and in
storage tanks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommends its
usage as a disinfectant. In 2004, after tsunami disaster in South Asia,
WHO reported, "Chlorine is most widely and easily used, and the most
affordable of the drinking water disinfectants. It is also highly
effective against nearly all waterborne pathogens." Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Lahore also uses chlorine as disinfectant (at least on papers) to eliminate waterborne pathogens since decades but so far has failed to get the required results. Every year thousands of people in Lahore suffer from water borne diseases. Wasa officials don't pay due attention to disinfect the water and that is why most of the water available to people in Lahore is contaminated. In June 2008, Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab revealed that it has found during a survey of quality of water in different areas of Lahore that about 70 percent of Lahore's water supply is contaminated which can be checked through chlorination alone. In May this year, according to media report EPD wrote to the city district government and water and sanitation agency (Wasa) to chlorinate and clean the water supply lines. The situation is the same since many years and higher authorities seem least interested in providing safe drinking water to the people. In 2002, Muhammad Saeed Anwar, Naseer Ahmad Chaudhry, Muhammad Tayyab of department of Pathology, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore conducted a study on 'qualitative assessment of bacteriological quality and chlorination status of drinking water in Lahore'. A total of 2160 water samples from distribution system were tested from nine different localities of Lahore. The study revealed that only 27.73 percent samples were chlorinated. Positivity of samples for chlorine was the lowest in areas with low socio-economic conditions (SEC) -- 20.69%, and highest, 32.77% in areas with high SEC. Among chlorinated samples 12.32 percent showed bacterial contamination. However, contamination was significantly higher among non-chlorinated samples. The situation has worsened over the years. TNS, in a bid to discover the reasons responsible for the situation, visited different tubewell sources of fresh water where chlorine is mixed in the water in city and finds that most of chlorination gauges (used to mix chlorine in tubewell water with a given ratio) are out of order since months or years while water is also not disinfected regularly. Muhammad Irfan, 45 years old tubewell operator deputed at Sultan Pura tube well in Misri Shah Division tells TNS that chlorination gauge of his tubewell is out of order for two years, since then the water is being chlorinated with the help of a plastic drum. "We pour chlorine directly into the borehole through motor head while chlorination apparatus is used to drop chlorine into water pipes," he says. According to him chlorination is not a usual phenomenon at his tubewell "Water in this tubewell is chlorinated after a week or two during monsoon season while rest of the year I am not provided with chlorine by the high officials." He tells TNS that last time he chlorinated water some two months back. He does not know in what proportion chlorine should be mixed in drinking water. Ten litre of liquid chlorine is mixed in water through tap of the plastic drum in maximum two days," he says. This tubewell caters to thousands of households in Sultan Pura, Ghory Shah and Swami Nagar localities. It is important to note that WHO has established a guideline to mix 5 mg/l chlorine in drinking water (WHO Guidelines for drinking water quality (2004)), meaning that such concentrations are considered acceptable for lifelong human consumption. The small amount of chlorine typically used to disinfect water does not pose risks to human health, according to WHO. However, during the disinfection process, according to environment experts, excessive amounts of chlorine may react with decaying organic matter to form trihalomethanes, which can cause cancer. The situation is not different on the other tubewell sites in the area. TNS visited Jinnah Park tubewell, Chamra Mandi tubewell and Tezab Ahata tubewell in the same division. The chlorination gauges at all these sites were out of order while water source has not been chlorinated at least for a month at all these sites. Only one tubewell-operator -- Abdul Hameed deputed at Tezab Ahata tubewell claimed that he chlorinated water last time two weeks ago but he could not furnish the written proof of his claim. None of the tube well operators know the importance of chlorination and the proportion with which it should be mixed with water. It means Wasa's water consumers at least in Misri Shah Division are constantly under threat of getting ill from water chlorination because, they do not follow WHO guidelines during disinfection process. Anwar Ahmed, Wasa's chlorination apparatus mechanic deputed in Misri Shah tells TNS that almost 50 percent of the gauges are out of order in his division. There are 30 tubewells in Misri Shah Division alone and it caters to a population of more than a million people. According to him Wasa has been using these sophisticated apparatus since 1998-99. "They are imported from USA and France and releases chlorine in water at the ratio suggested by health experts." He says that plastic cans are used to chlorinate water in tubewells where gauges are not working properly just to make sure that people are getting safe drinking water. He claims that Wasa never distributes water without disinfecting it. When I told him that most of the gauges at tubewells TNS visited, are out of order, he responded, "It is a usual phenomenon during winter season, even majority of the 50 percent functional gauges get out of order during this season." Lala Javed Masih, President Wasa Union, Misri Shah Division however tells TNS the actual story. According to him for the last two months or so liquid chlorine is not being given to Shadbagh sub-division (there are more than 10 tubewells in this subdivision) while only one drum of chlorine is being provided for the Sultan Pura sub-division (there are more than 15 tubewells in this sub-division). "Chlorine is being provided regularly to those tubewells which are installed near houses of influential people of the area," he reveals to TNS. The residents of Sultan Pura, Jinnah Park, Kachhu Pura, Dhobi Ghat, Chamra Mandi, Tezab Ahata, China Scheme and Goray Shah are suffering due to negligence on the part of Wasa officials. Ghulam Ahmad Raza Qadri, chairman Idara Behbood-o-Tahaffuz-e-Haqooq-e-Insani, a welfare organisation based in Misri Shah tells TNS that ratio of stomach and skin related diseases is overwhelmingly high in his area. "We have complained to Wasa officials and higher authorities more than once over the issue of absence of chlorination of water and its consequences in our area but nobody is interested," he tells TNS that sometime the water is so excessively chlorinated that pungent smell of chlorine in water can be felt even from a safe distance. Abid Chauhdry, a 35-year-old resident of Kachho Pura tells TNS that fresh water provided through Wasa lines in his locality smells and tastes very bad. "I have two children (a 5 years old daughter and 4 years old son), both of them remain ill for most of the time throughout the year. Doctors always direct us to stop drinking water provided by Wasa and instead use mineral water or boiled water. We cannot afford mineral water but we do boil water before giving it to children but even then it has least impact and children keep on getting ill," he laments. Doctors in the area second the residents' claims. "Stomach, skin and teeth related diseases are very common in Misri Shah area," Dr Javed Iqbal, who runs a clinic in Dhobi Ghat Chowk, in Misri Shah area tells TNS. According to him, though, many reasons can be responsible for prevalence of these diseases in the area, "unsafe drinking water is at the top of the list of reasons responsible for occurrence of such diseases." He claims that some pathogens in water cannot be eliminated even by boiling it and disinfection is the best practice to eliminate most of them. Wasa officials however seem least concerned about the problems people face because of their negligence. Muhammad Shaukat, Wasa, Sub-divisional officer (SDO) Misri Shah really got irritated when TNS asked his point of view over the issue. He does not think that he is answerable to anybody over the issue. "What can I do if people are getting ill, there are more than 300 tubewells in Lahore and water is not being chlorinated almost at all these sites, why have you chosen the area under my jurisdiction to report on," he asks TNS about the motives behind publishing such a news story. "There are so many other important issues, why have you chosen to write on this subject," he asks angrily. Finally, he tells TNS that Managing Director Wasa has ordered him to stop chlorinating water. "Go and ask him and do not waste my time," he says in a threatening tone. TNS tried but could not reach MD Wasa, though his spokesperson Imtiaz Ghauri denied that MD has released such orders to any sub-division.
Different friends for different bends
By Ali Sultan Honestly speaking, being someone's friend is a strange occupation. It's a thing that hounds you most of your life. In more ways than one, friendship shapes your life for better or for worse. Plainly, friendship is a disease, a 'life-saving' one so why don't we visit some of them, shall we? The best friend syndrome: I remember my first and last
best friend. We were in class 4 and I was in awe of this "too cool to be
in school" kid. He was bad at studies, had an older brother who was the
bully in school and was good at sports, all the things I was not. But as we
changed classrooms and moved into class 5, my best friend made friends with a
new kid in class and that was it. My best friend came to the playground one
day during lunch break, holding an X-Men comic I had given him for his
birthday, and he told me that his mother did not want us to be friends
anymore, because I was a bad influence. My first best friend then ran off to
play cricket, I stood there holding the comic, flicking the pages backwards
and forwards. The gone with the wind bug: I remember having the best time of my life when I was 16. We were a close group of friends, hanging out together, playing pranks, helping each other in our homework, all falling for our first crushes. That was the life change, drifting from one age to the next with a little help from my friends. But what happened to all those friends? Gone. Some to other countries, others to different colleges. The sad fact is that most of the time, friends are made because of the place: the school, the college campus, the workplace. Once you're out of the place, friends tend to drift apart. The bad influence: I agree, I might die early and in a lot of pain by getting lung cancer, but in retrospective I love this friend! This friend had a room filled with cassettes, enormous speakers and a television. To top it all off he would smoke. Now visualise rock music blaring out of these huge speakers and whiffs of tobacco smoke circling through the room, it looked extremely cool. It was hard to resist not doing the same and that's how I started smoking. But this friend was also the one who ignited a life-long passion for music. We would go on for hours at end discussing artists and albums. Reading my mind parasite: We've all had those. That intense kind of friendship where the other person knows what your true colours are. In the start it feels like the start of a love affair, where everything that you do or say interests the other person I have had a few of those, my most creative periods have come during these friendships because these kind of friends tend to push you hard towards some kind of self-discovery. After a while, however, this kind of friendship turns into torture, the friend wants you to be there for everything, which you can't. Heart to heart: There was this one friend who lived near my house. I was always welcome at his place and was friends with his parents too. We would sit outside on the balcony and talk about life. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you find the friend you can tell anything and expect to always have that friend in the time of need. That friend went away two years ago to another land, but whenever he comes back, we begin from the same point where we had left. That's the kind of friend you want.
• FESTIVAL: The World Performing Arts Festival (WPAF) 2008 is going on at Alhamra Cultural Complex till 23rd November.
• Exhibition: "4 Eyes -- A Photographic
Journey". Danka and Lahore Chitrkar are collaborating to organise an
exhibition of photographic works by Waheed Khalid (Pakistan) and Lukas Berger
(Austria). Taken during year 2008, the photo selection (30 pictures) portray
a range of cultural activities, portraits and architecture of Pakistan.
• TALK: Ahmad Javed to speak on Mathnawi Maulaana Room at Model Town Library on Thursday, Nov 20 at 5:30pm. The programme is being organised by Lahore Arts Forum (Leaf).
• WPAF 2008 POP NIGHT today at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 9pm featuring Atif Aslam, Raga Boyz, Aaroh, Rafaqat Ali Khan, Faiza Muhajid, 4 Mastroes from Punjab and Sheraz Ahmed & Maaz Ahmed from Sindh. Ticket: Rs 500.
• WPAF 2008 SUFI FOLK NIGHT on Tuesday, Nov 18 at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 9pm. Ticket: Rs 300.
• WPAF 2008 WORLD MUSIC NIGHT on Wednesday, Nov 19 at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 9pm. Ticket: Rs 300
• WPAF 2008 MYSTIC NIGHT on Thursday, Nov 20 at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 10pm. Ticket: Rs 500
• WPAF 2008 WORLD MUSIC NIGHT on Friday, Nov 21 at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 10pm. Ticket: Rs 300
• WPAF 2008 FUSION NIGHT on Saturday, Nov 22 at Alhamra, Gaddafi Stadium (open air) at 9:15pm. Ticket: Rs 500
• FESTIVAL: First Children Theatre Festival of Performing Arts 2008 on Tuesday, Nov 18 at Alhamra, The Mall at 10am.
• Book Fair at Oxford till November 30.
Vanishing vultures Scarcity of food may be a major cause of disappearance of the bird that feeds on carcasses
By Zarrar Khalil Population of three species of vultures -- oriental
white-backed (Gyps bengalensis), slender-billed (Gyps tenuirostris) and
long-billed (Gyps indicus) -- has decreased greatly in India, Pakistan and
Nepal. The three species are now listed as critically endangered. Vultures feed on animal carcasses which are a rare thing now. There was a time when animals expired they were thrown in open places a mile away from the village. Vultures would come in hordes to feed on the carcasses. Now with improved transportation system, every village is linked to a city. Veterinary hospitals are also running in cities, towns and villages where sick animals can be easily taken for treatment. Hence, the death rate of animals has decreased. As projected widely, diclofenac sodium may be only one cause of the death of vultures; it cannot certainly be a major cause. One or two vultures may have died from such poisoning but not a whole population. I raised this position five years ago while diclofenac sodium was banned on the advice of global experts. It is clear that the vultures have migrated from this country in search of food and shelter to other countries. But there are many other reasons for this near extinction of vultures from our part of the world. That they might have died due to unsuitable environment cannot be ruled out. The vultures cannot prey like kite because the kite attacks its prey at the angle of 90° whereas vultures cannot dive like this and fail to have food from the rush areas. There are other factors too. The vultures make their nest on old trees like Sheeshum in the forests, away from the cities or villages which have been cut down and the vultures now do not have shelter for their babies. Weakening of the egg-shell; not enough reserve by the parents to bring-up babies, etc can be another reason. A lot of vultures were seen around Lahore 20 years ago. Many animal carcasses were thrown at a distance of about five to eight kilometres from the city but these days not a single vulture is seen as no carcass is thrown out in the open. Moreover, the suburban areas have undergone development and construction has taken place there. Dr.Oaks an American Vet, says the three vulture species are declining at a rate of about 30 percent every year. The percentage of decline in vultures in the subcontinent mentioned by Dr Oaks and other experts is incorrect. The disappearance (death) rate of vultures here is about 60 to 70 percent. The reason behind this disappearance is mainly scarcity of food. I conducted a survey around the Lahore city and other big cities like Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad etc. and could not find a single carcass of a cow. Because cattle, cows, buffaloes, goats etc. are very expensive whose loss is unbearable for man. Therefore, sick animals land in the slaughter house or else they are sold to the local butchers. Nobody these days throws away his sick animal for nothing. In cities, the moment the corporation comes to know of a dead body of an animal, it takes the body away in truck and burns it. So, in all probability, scarcity of food is the cause of disappearance of vultures from Pakistan, India and Nepal. In the last three decades, whenever a contagious disease like Hemorrhagic Septicemia (H.S) and Foot and Mouth Disease (F.M.D) broke out, expired animals in large numbers were thrown away outside the villages in open places. These carcasses were enough for the survival of vultures. The death rate among animals has decreased to a great extent because these days animals are vaccinated as a matter of routine. People are more aware about the health of their animals given through veterinary hospitals and media. (The writer is an ex-veterinary technologist Lahore Zoo and a veterinary assistant in Brooke Hospital for Animals. The writer was awarded a certificate of recognition from Director of Volunteer Services in Sedgwick Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, USA for his demonstrated concern for the animals.)
Punjab government plans to set up a digital public library in place of IMAX Theatre
By Waqar Gillani The Punjab government has plans to convert the shelved
projects of the Punjab Entertainment Company (PEC) into educational
entertainment project. The government has also decided to shelve the PEC's
ongoing projects designed for the provincial metropolis. The plan is to have a digital public library having internet access to international research journals and publications in the world's different libraries. One floor of the proposed IMAX Theatre in Doongi Ground at M.M Alam Road near Mini Market Gulberg has been marked for research and study purposes. The decision to shelve the projects was taken in a meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the PEC, mostly comprising ex-officio members. The BoD has also decided to seek legal consultancy to look into the possibilities of sending the IMAX equipment back to the IMAX Company Canada and terminate the contract. IMAX theatre, if it remains with the government, will be used for educational purposes. The basement would be used for parking. The BoD reviewed communication with the IMAX and decided that the PEC MD should consult a corporate lawyer to review the agreement, the legal obligations and the constraints. The PEC purchased IMAX Theatre equipment at $2.523 million (Rs 483.271 million) through a single tender enquiry. Keeping into account the commercial viability, the project was shifted from the Infotainment Park at the Sheikh Zayed Complex (Ferozepur Road) to its present location Doongi Ground, M.M Alam Road. The provincial Finance Department released Rs482.721 million for the theatre, Rs520.371 million for the shopping mall (total cost Rs820 million), and Rs50 million for the PEC expenditures. This money has gone waste. "The board has taken up the case of IMAX Theatre for revamping. The idea is to turn it into an international library-cum-theatre and the summary has been moved to the CM," the Punjab Information, Culture and Youth Affairs Secretary Orya Maqbool Jan Abbasi told TNS. Abbasi said that the provincial government had made up its mind to have a digital library having connectivity with the world libraries for research and educational purposes. The charge of the company has been handed over to Punjab Secretary for Information, Culture and Youth Affairs, Orya Maqbool Jan Abbasi. The BOD has also approved termination of all PEC employees on contract on one month notice. The other shelved projects include LED Video Screen Project, Rock Climbing Project and Chinese Circus Project. The board referred the case to the Finance Committee of the board to examine the modalities of winding up the company and make recommendations at the earliest. The board also approved to transfer all funds of the PEC to the Punjab government The Punjab government decided to dissolve the PEC after finding irregularities and waste of funds including unjustified hefty salaries of its officials worth Rs 1.4 billion. Former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi had launched the IMAX Theatre project from the PEC platform after getting inspiration from the IMAX theatres in Germany and England. After the formation of the new political setup in the province, the CM Shahbaz Sharif set up a high-powered three-member tribunal to conduct an inquiry into the alleged financial and administrative irregularities of the PEC. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who has already termed the actions against the company 'political victimisation', established the PEC in 2005 though an Act passed by the Punjab Assembly. The PEC came into existence to carry on the 'enlightened vision' and capture a broad spectrum of interests for all ages. It was owned by the Punjab government and managed by professionals from the private sector. The PEC was aimed to develop core competencies in family entertainment provided through infrastructure projects, events and publications. Its objectives were to develop infrastructure recreational projects in major cities of Punjab; to organise wide range of events in all major cities and towns of the province, to create revenue streams for financial sustainability of the company and to launch subsidised entertainment facilities in low income areas of Punjab. Inayatullah, former bureaucrat and now chairman Civic Forum, an informal group of concerned citizens and the founder chairman of Lahore Improvement Committee, said though educational facilities were needed, the government must open a studio within the library offering film facility to the visitors. He urged the government to float some innovative ideas instead of moving back towards stereotype ideas. He called for thinking loud about new ideas for entertainment. "It is worrying that insecurity and expensive entertainment is also a hurdle in making entertainment facilities more attractive." Lahore has a population of over 80 million and only limited entertainment facilities. There are few parks, theatres, cinemas, exhibition halls, sports complexes, playgrounds and children playlands in the city. All of them are always seen crowded and the rush at Lahore Zoo, Fortress Stadium and Race Course Park is evident. Collectively, these limited entertainment facilities cater to tens of thousands of visitors daily. Will the youth be able to get some opportunities for positive and healthy recreation and entertainment -- that is the question.
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