Investigation of Toxic Elements in Groundwater of Kalalanwala Area near Lahore

The section of news appeared in media in last week of July 2000 that deformed bones in children of village Kalalanwala are causing unrest among the people and scared villagers are seeking help. The fluoride content in some drinking water samples reportedly analyzed by PCSIR were as high as 40 ppm. A group of environmental researchers from Geoscience Laboratory, Geological Survey of Pakistan made a program to investigate the possible contamination of geological importance in the groundwater of the area. The sample collected from the village Kalalanwala/Kot Asadullah near Manga Mandi, Lahore were analyzed for fluoride and arsenic in water, being used by residents of the locality. The area under investigation is a flood plain of river Ravi, where the fine silt and clay deposits during flood-seasons and it encourages the agriculturist to use the fields to cultivate for common crops. Since two decades the area is being developed as industrial zone specially Chunian and Kasur, and for the last five years the Kalalanwala and nearby area are being exploited for various industries. Modern instrumentation facilities of the high-tech Geoscience Laboratory were used to analyze the samples. The concentration of fluoride was found in the range of 1.4 to 22 mg/L and the As contents ranged from 50 to 920 ug/L, both being beyond the threshold EQS (environmental quality standards) values (i.e., F=0.8mg/L and As 20ug/L) and thus this water is not suitable for life. The investigations were also carried out for other elements like Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni, Co, Pb and Hg in addition to the usual parameters. Whereas the other laboratories were emphasizing on fluoride only, this team discovered the presence of another important toxic element arsenic in the samples collected from the affected area, which poses the real threat to the human life. The contents of Ca were found less than usual, thus deficiency of calcium is probably one of the possible factor in deforming the bones. By the time it is established that the bone deformity cases are being reported from whole of the area stretching through Shanki Bhattian to Kot Radha Kishan. This research will definitely open new venues for other scientists around the globe.

Author(s):
Muhammad Naseem, Abida Mumtaz Farooqi, Dilshad Masih and Muhammad Anwar
Geoscience Lab, GSP, Islamabad, Pakistan.

An Account of Waterlogging and Salinity Problems and Remedial Measures in Pakistan

Irrigation in the Indus Plain is being practiced along Indus River since the earliest settlements, thousands of years ago. Before the induction of weir controlled irrigation in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the water table was quite deep in the Indus plain. But due to deep percolation of seepage water from the unlined canals and on-farm irrigation, and without adequate drainage, a new increment of recharge was added to the groundwater regime of the Indus basin resulting into creation of severe perils of waterlogging and salinization of the soils in many parts of the country, affecting agricultural production. This problem was further aggravated due to construction infra structures, semi-arid climatic conditions, flat topography, poor natural drainage, porous soils, seepage from unlined irrigation channels and inefficient irrigation management. During late fifties, these problems became so serious that these became the biggest environmental issues and gigantic threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the country. It was estimated that about 40,000 ha of irrigated land was being lost due to waterlogging and salinity every year.

The responsibility for tackling this problem was assigned to Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) by the Government of Pakistan in 1958. Since then, a number of Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARPs) were launched by WAPDA and 57 SCARPs were completed so far. In addition to these completed SCARPs, a number of drainage projects in all provinces are in various stages of completion. The SCARPs mainly consisted of installation of tubewells, construction of surface and pipe drains and construction of intercepter drains.

The paper gives brief information on the extent of problems of waterlogging and salinity in the country, the remedial measures undertaken and the results achieved so far.

author(s):

G. Sarwar, Muhammad Ramzan Ch. And Muhammad Nawaz Bhutta
International Waterlogging and Salinity Research Institute (IWASRI)
13 West Wood Colony, Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore.