Rao Dilshad Hussain

Humanity cannot survive without drinking water. Interestingly, the masses have to drink arsenic mixed water here in Pakistan yet having the water purification system in their homes. It is happening because of the illegal, replicas and non-food graded are being sold out water filters in the markets. But this unfortunate thing that Lahore’s city district government and WASA’s officials did not own this issue. Both of them refused to take the liability of illegal selling and manufacturing water filters in the sanitary stores across the country.

Sunday plus conduct an exclusive survey to probe the facts regarding the making process, quality and illegal thriving business of the water filters that create the blessings in disguise situation among the citizen. The two genres of filters local made and important are accessible for the public. The local manufacturers produce the water filter’s housings and other plastic material with the help of the recycling plastics as the people salt waste in the terms of X-rays, used syringes, tyre rubber, plastic bottles, and sewerage pipes as well.

More than 70% local producers are not using proper plastic’s row material in the water filters making process because public is not on their priority they just focus on the business. A number of makers thrive this illegal business but without any hesitation and they use the USA‘s stamps to show the imported filters, they use to play with play’s lives while there is no check on this kind of traditions. In fact, these filters cannot have the ability to purify and sterilize the water properly but spreading the most dangerous and terrible diseases skin cancer, hepatitis, lever failure, and gastro etc. this unfortunate thing that this is just occurring in the third world.

According to the survey imported obtainable filters are better working than the local ones and these are being made with the help of 100% food grade and pure plastic raw material, which at least cannot create the diseases for the consumers. This is not happening in the other developing nations because of strong and authentic checking system.

A complete water filter is comprised upon the three housings or parts, first one is filled with the polypropylene fibre cartridge. That eliminates the physical particles such as dust, rust, and sand particles. This cartridge should be 100% pure Polypropylene fibre then this will not be functioning well. But here the native manufacturers frequently used rough Polypropylene fibre that cannot remove the physical particles because nobody can dare to vet the factories. This is the water filtration process.

Second one is granular activated carbon that observes the water’s bad taste, colour and bad smell and with the end of this process existing chemicals to be removed. While Lahore, Karachi and Gujranwala’s manufacturers use coil to replace the activate carbon. This is the most terrible for consumers and due to which water is to be further dirty despite of purification. This process purifies the water.

Water filter’s third housing is persisted at the UV ultra violet lamp that disinfects the bacteria, germs and viruses and so with the completion of this sterilization function one can drink the mineral water. Three sorts of the ultra violet lamps sell in the market. Philips lamp works properly to get rid of from active bacteria and virus. So always quality ultra violet lamp should be used other wise bacteria and virus would never be finished from the water.

Right now most of the Pakistani drink polluted and arsenic water that effect the human body and bones have been weaken gradually. Because of this sort of drinking water the working capacity of the youth is also dwindling. No one including the government is thinking the serious matter.

Nobody can tell about existing manufacturers how many filter makers are here are? But according to the survey conducted by Sunday plus more than 90% companies have indulged to make the water purification filter but nobody wants to register the company. That is the responsibility of the health department, environment protection department and city district government to vet the illegal filter manufacturers almost once in a month.

Government should be banned those filter manufacturers who use recycle plastic raw material to produce water filters. Present given licenses should be cancelled and the licensing process should resume. So far nobody including the City district governments did raid to prevent the illegal vendors anywhere across the country.

Sunday plus talked to Lahore’s DO Environment Tariq Zaman about the water filters manufacturing.

He refused to own the matter and said, “this is not the responsibility of our department to vet the illegal makers. He slams the illegal water filter’s manufacturing. My department can just provide the advisory mechanism to WASA about the quality control.”

“When the new tube wells are required to WASA and during evolving the new projects environment department tests the water quality and give the maximum support to WASA, He was of the view”

Sunday plus talked to Deputy Managing Director WASA Iqtadar Shah. He as usual declined to acknowledge the reality about the selling water filters. He even did not own the most sensitive issue and argued “this matter is not the WASA ’s concerning because WASA is supplying the pure and sterilized water to the masses. There is no need to install the water filters to the public.”

On a query that who is the responsible lethargic and sluggish selling of the water filters? “I always discourage to install the domestic filtration because my department is already giving the water with minerals. Water is polluted when the masses construct their homes and they do not install the quality sanitation system. Then an account of lower quality material and electric motor pumps water is polluted. So water filters installation is entirely useless practice, he was of the view.”