Unfiltered Industrial Waste Discharged into KB Feeder Canal. Environmental Authorities Launch Probe
- The situation in Kotri is not isolated. Across Sindh, numerous industrial and municipal sewage lines continue to discharge untreated effluents directly into natural water bodies and irrigation canals
Staff Report
Jamshoro, Sindh
The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has initiated action against the discharge of untreated industrial waste into the KB Feeder Canal near Kotri, following concerns raised on social media.
According to details, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Environment, Dost Muhammad Rahmoon, along with SEPA Director General, took immediate notice of the reports. Regional Incharge SEPA Hyderabad, Imran Ali Abbasi, visited the industrial area with his team and inspected the effluent treatment plant. Samples of wastewater being discharged into the KB Feeder were collected and sent to a laboratory for testing.
During his visit, Abbasi also held a meeting with members of the Kotri Industrial and Trade Association (KATI). When questioned about the untreated waste discharge, KATI representatives including industrialists Khalil Baloch, Mian Tauqeer Tariq, and Malik Iqbal stated that the treatment plant was previously being operated under a cost-sharing arrangement between KATI and the SITE department on a 50-50 basis. However, the SITE department failed to provide its agreed share of funds, resulting in outstanding dues of PKR 60 million. Consequently, KATI handed back the plant’s operations to the SITE department.
SEPA’s Hyderabad regional head, Imran Abbasi, urged all factory owners in industrial zones to ensure their in-house treatment plants remain functional and that no untreated waste is released into the environment. He emphasized that the KB Feeder canal eventually leads to Keenjhar Lake, which supplies drinking water to the residents of Karachi. Discharging toxic waste into the canal poses a severe public health risk.
Abbasi warned that strict action would be taken against industries found violating environmental laws. Special monitoring teams have been formed to conduct surprise inspections of industrial units in the region.
Widespread Waste Discharge Across Sindh’s Waterways
The situation in Kotri is not isolated. Across Sindh, numerous industrial and municipal sewage lines continue to discharge untreated effluents directly into natural water bodies and irrigation canals, posing serious health and environmental hazards.
In Karachi, untreated domestic and industrial waste from major industrial zones such as Korangi, Landhi, and SITE areas is routinely released into the Lyari and Malir rivers, which eventually flow into the Arabian Sea without any effective treatment, resulting in marine pollution and destruction of aquatic life.
In Hyderabad, Phuleli and Pinyari canals, which also feed into agricultural lands, have become dumping grounds for both human and industrial waste. A 2017 Supreme Court-mandated water quality report found alarming levels of contamination in these canals, with the waste eventually reaching the Indus River system.
In Sukkur and Larkana, municipal sewage is commonly discharged into the Begari and Rice canals. Agricultural run-off containing harmful pesticides and fertilizers also contributes to water pollution, affecting irrigation quality and contaminating crops.
Keenjhar Lake, which receives water from the KB Feeder, has shown signs of increased pollution in recent years. Despite being a Ramsar site and a key source of Karachi’s drinking water, the lake is increasingly at risk due to upstream contamination from untreated industrial and urban wastewater.
Need for Immediate Reforms
Environmental experts have long called for strict implementation of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) 1997 and for equipping industrial zones with fully functional Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs). Several such plants, promised under federal and provincial government schemes, remain incomplete or non-functional due to bureaucratic delays and lack of coordination between departments.
Unless urgent steps are taken, the continued release of untreated sewage and toxic industrial effluents will not only contaminate Sindh’s freshwater sources but also escalate the crisis of safe drinking water and public health across the province.
Read: Karachi’s 625 factories discharging industrial wastewater into sea
________________
