By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, March 22 (INP-WealthPK): In Pakistan, declining water quality is stifling economic progress, affecting health and lowering food supply. According to a World Bank analysis, heavily contaminated water reduces economic progress by up to a third in any country. The problem of water pollution acquires greater relevance in the context of an agrarian economy like Pakistan. Over half of the population of Pakistan lack access to safe and clean water and have no choice but to consume water from whatever source exists in their cities, towns, and villages, regardless of quality. Sadia Munawar, Deputy Director Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said while talking to WealthPK that inadequate water supply, pollution, waterlogging, and salinity have a negative impact on Pakistan's agriculture sector, which leads to increased unemployment and poverty. The majority of the population in Pakistan depends on natural resources. The agriculture sector employs 41% of the population. “The quality of the available water must be tested to check its fitness prior to use. Improving water quality has always been among the top priority goals of the EPA. The agency responsible for the monitoring of water quality performs periodic checks of the basic water parameters against certain recommended standards and then makes it suitable for drinking and other domestic purposes,” Sadia said. She said Pakistan’s surface water, as well as groundwater, are heavily polluted with microorganisms and other various toxic compounds. “The condition (of water) in Pakistan's major cities is appalling. Currently, only 20% of the country’s population has access to clean drinking water. The remaining 80% population depends on polluted water primarily contaminated by sewerage and also by fertilizer, pesticides, and industrial effluents,” she said. Sadia mentioned that the population has pushed waste into Pakistan's waterways, including canals and streams. “The trash also contains harmful substances that are dangerous to aquatic life's health. In some areas, the waterways should be covered. Local governments in other locations should clean the waterways on a regular basis. This will aid in the reduction of water pollution in Pakistan,” she said. Saiqa Imran, Deputy Director Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), while talking to WealthPK stated that the water quality in Pakistan is facing severe challenges due to the untreated disposal of industrial and domestic waste. The PCRWR leads a National Water Quality Monitoring Program (NWQMP) to assess the status of water quality in Pakistan. In recent years, it has started various programs regarding water quality issues. In 2020, this water quality monitoring program was undertaken in 29 cities of four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. “In order to effectively tackle water pollution, it’s important to understand what causes this pollution in the first place. We must find out cost-effective water contamination solutions,” she said. Saiqa said the highly effective solution is wastewater treatment facilities which are able to remove nearly all pollutants via a chemical, physical, or biological process. Wastewater should be strictly enforced; particular industries would have to reduce and treat their wastewater before disposal,” she said. Recently the government carried out a pilot project at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) for the treatment of wastewater through bioremediation technology and it proved to be a great success that has achieved all desired results. The bioremediation process for wastewater treatment is degrading, removing, changing, immobilising, or detoxifying various chemicals and physical pollutants from the environment through the activity of bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants. Although global attention has focused primarily on water quantity, water-use efficiency, and allocation issues, poor wastewater management has created serious water-quality problems in many parts of the world, worsening the water crisis. Global water scarcity is caused not only by the physical scarcity of the resource but also by the progressive deterioration of water quality in many countries, reducing the quantity of water. Local governments have a very important role to play in the protection of surface water, groundwater, drinking water, and wetlands, often filling in the gaps in state and federal regulations. If the local government does not do so with local zoning, those gaps may not be addressed.