Monitoring Desk
MULTAN: In Multan, a troubling practice of farmers cultivating vegetables in canal-side sewage water has led to a rise in the number of ailments among the local population putting the health of the local population at risk.
However, it appears that the Multan administration is ignoring the issue, leaving the population at the whim of profit-driven farmers who are “playing with fire” by growing spinach, potatoes, and turnips in contaminated water. Farmers’ inability to pay their expensive electricity bills is the foundation of the issue.
They are compelled to cultivate using the sewage water that is running through the canals to save money. As a result, a harvest of vegetables is produced that not only represents a serious health danger but also has a bad smell that makes people reluctant to even consider buying them.
However, it appears that the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Multan administration are ignoring the problem, placing the public in a dangerous position. Although Rizwan Nazir, Multan’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), is aware of the risks posed by the deadly vegetables, he has not yet taken any effective measures to address the issue.
Health hazards
In addition to being at risk of consuming infected vegetables, people who live near canals also have to come up with the foul smell that comes from the sewage water. For the Multan residents, who are forced to fight for themselves in the face of careless officials and money-driven farmers, it is a lose-lose situation. The Multan administration needs to act swiftly to address the situation and put a stop to this recipe for disaster.
