Punjab, Pakistan to Ban Wastewater Use for Edible Crops

Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has recently started issuing licenses to food and vegetable shops and now it will bar wastewater irrigation for agricultural production.

Source: Pixabay

A PFA spokesman told  The Express Tribune  that water is one of the most precious inputs in agriculture production.  He said the maintenance of quality standards is highly critical to the provision of safe and healthy produce for the general public of the province.

Providing the background to the situation, he highlighted that many areas in the country are facing a major crisis as cultivators are resorting to the use of wastewater for irrigation. “This poses a direct threat to the health of consumers who are exposed to elevated levels of toxic and poisonous elements present in wastewater,” he maintains.

He also underlines that while the challenge is being addressed directly by PFA, it needs effective cooperation from the Punjab Agricultural Department, Industry Department, private businesses, Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) as well as social activists. The food watchdog spokesperson stressed that these steps are crucial to tackle the potential public health crisis.

He also points out that provincial regulations bind industries to ensure that all waste water is treated before it is disposed in any way. “It has been a common point of discussion for the past many years that industrial estates and zones should provide integral effluent water treatment plants to provide complete treatment of waste water. However, there have been hardly any practical steps taken in this direction.

The PFA aims to create an active liaison with industrial estates and government agencies to take action in an expeditious manner,” he added.

Punjab Agriculture Department former director general Dr Anjum Buttar welcomed the move as a positive step, but underscores the need to back up the initiative with a comprehensive awareness campaign to highlight the danger posed to public health.

Read full article: The Express

Media

Taxonomy

• Irrigation
• Irrigation and Drainage
• Wastewater Disposal
• Wastewater Use
• Reclaimed Wastewater
• Wastewater Collection
• Consumption
• Vegetable crops