04-15-2008, 05:33 PM
<b>80 pc of groundwater in Sindh not fit for consumptionâ</b>
HYDERABAD: Sindh University scientist and Project Director of High-Tech Resources Central Laboratories Prof Dr Muhammad Yar Khuhawar has disclosed that <b>groundwater of 80 per cent of Sindh province is saline and not suitable for human consumption and added that whatever packets of sweet water are available may be contaminated with arsenic, one of the toxic substances.</b>
The research scholar recommended that there is a need to recognize the problem and efforts may be made to provide cheap filters for the removal of arsenic before consumption. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, "long-term exposure to arsenic via drinking water causes cancer of the skin, lungs, urinary bladder and kidney, as well as other skin changes such as pigmentation changes and thickening (hyperkeratosis). Dr Khuhawar said the maximum permissible limit in water for human consumption by the WHO is 10 ppb.
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