The wastewater problems in Larkana, Pakistan stem from sewage being discharged directly into the Rice Canal without treatment. This includes waste from homes, hospitals, and animal waste. As a result, the water in the Rice Canal is no longer fit for drinking and is contaminating underground water sources. Various efforts have been made to address the broken sewer system and stop wastewater discharge into the canal, but they have not solved the problem. Nearby villages and residents continue to suffer from resulting health issues.

1. WASTEWATER PROBLEMS OF LARKANA
CITY.
MAIN SOURCES OF WASTEWATER PROBLEMS:
The most wide spreading the network of wastewater is mainly
1) WASTEWATER DISCHARGEINTO RISECANAL
2) BROKEN GUTTERS.
3) OVERFLOWS
4) DRAINAGESYSTEMS.
There are plenty of other resources too for waste water problembut they all
meet and end up into these written above. Now take the first one that how the
waste water of whole town is being dumped into rise canal which is later
polluted.
Around 5,000 yearsago, the peopleof Mohen Jo Daro had an underground
sewerage system with proper disposal of solid waste but today we deal with
waste by flinging it out into a sweet water canal.
RiceCanal, which flows through Larkana city, thehometown of Pakistan
People’s Party (PPP) Founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whoseparty hasbeen ruling
the provincefor the last nine years.
For many historical and geographical reasons, Larkana isa privileged city. It is
located near Mohen Jo Daro, which was the home of the ancient Indus Valley
civilisation. Thecity standsout for its archaeological sites, political history, rich
cultureand booming agriculture. Among such praise-worthy attributes, there
was a stream of sweet drinking water running through thecity, called Rice
Canal. However, today, water in the canal is no longer potableowing to the
disposal of waste in it over the years. People throwing garbageinto thecanal
and buffaloesswimming in it is a frequent sight these days.

2. Now, the water [availableto the residents]is not fit for human consumption.
One of thereasons for this is thiscontaminated canal whose water also
penetratesunderground and makes underground water impure. It is causing
harmful impact on our health and we all are victimsof it
This water containsall type of fishes and aquatic animals. Due to increasing
dumping of waste water quantity thenumber of aquatic lifeis decreasing.
Sewage water into rise canal which also poses health threats. The release of
sewage water into Larkana’sRiceCanal could not be put to end despite Sindh
government’seffortsand directivesof thewater commission set up by the
Supreme Court (SC) over the issue. The contaminated water of theRice Canal is
not only being used for drinking purposeby a large number of villages, but it is
also making underground drinking water of Larkana unfit for human
consumption.
Per reports, many people have been infected with deadly diseases not only in
Larkana but up to Dadu district and subsoil water has also become highly
contaminated. Thedistrict government authoritiesalso took several steps to
stop draining of sewage into theCanal but have so far failed to carve out
solutionsto theissue.

3. A detailed examination showed that fromDodai villageto Larkana – a distance
of about five kilometers– human waste could be seen on both sides of the
Canal. Moreover, sewage water enters into the RiceCanal through
approximately 187 small and largepipes out of which 102 pipes are on right side
of RiceCanal and 85 on left side.
The residents of these areas also throwgarbageinto the Canal without any
check either by the Larkana Municipal Corporation (LMC) or Public Health
Engineering Department (PHED) engineers. Irrigation water flowsonce in a year
during paddy sowing season in RiceCanal and now it looks like a huge sewage
drain which also flows downstreamup to Dadu district. Thishas caused severe
problemsto the residentsof the area.
The people living on both sides of the Rice Canal claimed that their areas are
without any drainagesystem hence they haveno option but to dispose it off into
the Canal through pipes.
Larkana Ex- Mayor AslamShaikh claimed that as many as 28 big pipes have
been removed so far but two pipes of two drainageschemes are still releasing
poisonous sewage water into Rice Canal. Hesaid sewage water was previously
thrown into theCanal through 495 pipes illegally erected by theresidents living
on both sides of theCanal which arebeing removed by PHED. Mayor hoped that
all pipes will be removed by June next year.
He continued that out of fiveOxidation Plants, threehavebeen completed
which are located on theoutskirtsof the city and work on two is underway
which too will be completed by June 2019. Hesaid some quantity of filtered
sewage water is also used by the growersof the area to irrigatetheir landsand
the rest is again released into the RiceCanal fromoxidation ponds Mayor
disclosed that piperemoving work was launched when Pakistan People’s Party
(PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took noticeof themenace in 2014.
However, the Water Commission’s directivesof sewage piperemoval in
December 2017 areyet to be acted upon.

5. Unending waste disposal (broken gutters):
Despite spending of billionsof rupees under the Larkana package, no solution
has been reached to stop waste disposal in the RiceCanal. According to an
estimate, around 22 million gallonsper day (MGD) of waste of the city is being
disposed in thecanal.
Local journalist Hanif Shaq said not only human waste, but hospital and animal
waste is also being released into it. "Whenever we raise thisissue before PPP
ministers, they blameGeneral (retd) Musharraf'stenurefor the start of this
practice. No one triesto stop it," he said.
Abdul Rasool Abro, a government teacher, has bored around five hand pumps in
variouslocationsin Sacchal Colony in order to get freshwater, but all in vain.
“The water that poured out of the hand pumps in the summer was not only
fresh but also cold. Whether you believeor not, on scorching hot days we were
not able to takebaths because of its coldness. Now, thewater smells whenever
we push the hand pump”, Man (living beside) said, recalling hischildhood days.
"There are 28 pumping stations in the city that release their waste into this
canal. Apart fromthis, the waste of Chandka Teaching Hospital is also being
released into the canal without any treatment,"local councillor Khan
Muhammad Panhwar said, adding that theSupreme Court'sjudicial commission
was also informed about the situation and it expressed dismay over it but no
tangibleresult has been seen so far.
Lahori Mahallah, PeoplesColony, Shaikh Zaid Colony and Sacchal Colony arethe
worst-affected areasin terms of thepolluted underground water.

7. Despite SupremeCourt orders, untreated sewage water continuesto be
discharged directly into thecity’s“clean”water sources, as local authorities
have failed to check this habit and ensure people’shealth.
Hepatitisand skin diseases are on the risein Larkana and those affected are
living miserably.
The citizenshave demanded to be supplied with clean and safe drinking water
instead of contaminated canal water.
A report filed in the Supreme Court recently revealed that 88 percent of water
being supplied to Larkana citizensiscontaminated.
To remove sewage water, theLarkana administration established a pumping
station 8 kilometersaway from thecity near Mashori villagewhere10 pipes
were fitted to drain out 25 cusecs of water per minuteeach. In this way, 250
cusecs water is being drained out every minutedirectly into theRiceCanal
through thechannels of guttersmeshed under the city routes.
Two other pipes are also present a few furlongsaway fromthis station which
also discharges60 cusecs gutter water per minute without any treatment.
Due to thecontamination of water, thequality of underground water has been
affected not only in Larkana but also at Dokri, Badah, Bakrani, Mehar and
Naseerabad villages(villagesnear larkana jurisdiction).
In addition, peopleon both sides of the RiceCanal continueto dump their litter
straight into thecanal. The deputy commissioner has issued warningsagainst
thispractice, saying FIRs will be registered against violators, but it continues
unimpeded. Sindh Government approved one drainagescheme to drain all
sewage water out of Larkana city and install a treatment and filter plantsto
make water reusable.
Larkana Deputy Commissioner Kashif Ali Tipu told reportersthat before2013,
sewage water of variousschemes was released into the canal. He said that
effluent water from 28 disposal pointswas discharged into the canal before the
scheme, whereas now the water from 24 disposal points was not going into the
canal, and work on other gutter lines was also underway.

8. LARKANA SEWAGE AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM:
The city's over30-year-old sewerage system needs complete overhaul
because it has outlived its designated life and become practically un-maintainable,
according to a report prepared by an expert.
The city's battered roadswere being carpeted in haste without completing work
on drainagesystem's overhaul, which might giverise to problemsin near future,
sources in thePublic Health Department said.
The Public Health Department prepared a project that for restoration of old
drainagesystem with minimumdamage to roadsand permanent solution to
disposal of sewage and the Rs200 million project wasalmost ready with minor
linkages, storm water drain
In certain areas therewere no disposal drainsand in others therewere two
sided drainsand single side drains. In some new drainselectric poles were
standing right in their middle.
The experts suggested connecting drainswith 'catch pits' on both sides of the
roads.
The Natioinal Highway Authority, which wasworking on inter-city road
network, had already dismantled defectivedrains, which had doubled the
expenses, said the sources.
The expert pointed out use of inferior quality of concreteand proposed that
threepumping stationslocated near Akil road, Phull road and Baharpur road,
which release sewage into Dadu Canal should be switched over to the SCARP
drain to make Dadu Canal pollution free.
The planners would encounter problemsin restoring damaged portionsof the
old drainagesystem because somewhere work on roadshad been finished and
somewhere it continued.
The planners should have completed the underground drainagesystemwell
ahead of start of work on the roads, said the expert.
The sources said that MNA Faryal Talupr had emphasised the need for
completing thedrainagesystem simultaneously with inter-city roads.

9. Overflowing guttersat many places in the city pose serious threatsto health
while39 pumping stationsarereleasing thispoisonous water into Riceand
Dadu canals, making them highly contaminated and injuriousfor health.
The expert said that practiceof releasing untreated sewage into canalsshould
be stopped and arrangementsshould be made to release it into SCARP drain.
It required both long term and short termplanning based on scientific
methodology to minimiseif not wipe out completely, futurehealth risks, said Dr
Shafqat Soomro, chairman of Sindh People's Development Committee(SPDC).
Three big pumping stationsare releasing half of sewage into perennial Dadu
Canal in addition to innumerablepipesof varioussizes carry sewage from the
different localities. Letshope that it will work out in th betterment of the town.

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