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Detailed Ecological Assessment Report 2008 – Keenjhar Lake
3.8.4 Discussion
The agriculture surface drain discharging in to the Hajamro creek near Keti
Bunder Town does not pose any threat to the sea, as this water is relatively better
and all its parameters are meeting the standards of NEQ for effluents disposal
into sea. The waste water coming from Keti Bunder Town contains sea water,
normally used for different non drinking house-hold activities causing high
salinity/TDS, Nickel and phenol level in waste water, which is above the NEQ
standards for disposal in the sea. Since the quantum of this water is far below the
quantum available in Keti Bunder and there is no other pollution source available
in town, the impact of this waste water on sea water quality will be negligible.
The water quality of Keti Bunder creeks when compared with the Coastal Water
Quality Standards shows that, except the phenol and nickel content, the values of
all other parameters are within permissible limits for all type of marine life (fish,
prawn, and Palla fish, etc). The high values of nickel and phenol contamination
could be attributed to the large municipal and industrial effluents coming from
Karachi and discharging in to the sea. The hand pump sample representing the
drinking water quality of creeks area was analyzed which is found influenced by
the sea water underneath raising the level of TDS, salt concentration, nickel and
phenol than the WHO drinking water quality standards. However, other
parameters are within WHO safe limits.
The data of the last twelve years on flow downstream Kotri Barrage has been
varying from 0.3- 91 million acre-feet (MAF). The previous studies have reported
that coastal mangrove ecosystems in Pakistan have been seriously degraded
over the last 50 years as a result of freshwater diversion for agriculture, industrial
and urban water pollution, and over-fishing. These proximate causes are largely
driven by national policies that have favored agriculture and industry over the
coastal regions and that have given high priority to exports.
3.7.5 Threats and recommendations
3.7.4.1 Recommendations
There is no major source of pollution in Keti Bunder study area. The pollution of
nickel and phenol which is present in Keti Bunder area is generated from
municipal and industrial waste of Karachi and navigation activity occurring in the
sea. Therefore it is suggested that these effluents should be treated before
disposal in the sea.
Adequate fresh water flow along with silt containing nutrients is vital for the
survival of the mangrove forest and its habitat. The fresh water availability in
Indus delta is almost decreasing since many years. Consequently, the breeding
of fish and shrimp species has affected and the migration of famous Palla fish to
upstream has been hampered. In this connection, stricter local governmental
regulations and enforcement protecting mangroves are necessary. Also,
involvement of local communities for sustainable management and protection of
their coastal resource base, including the nearby mangrove forests, should be
ensured.
WWF Pakistan – Indus for All Programme Page 115 of 188