WaterAid in Pakistan

Water Quality Testing

Protocol
November, 2010

This protocol and instructions are mandatory for all partner 0rganizations
implementing water supply components with WaterAid funding

Table of Contents
1.0

Background
1.1
1.2

2.0

Country Context
Current Situation/Issues in Pakistan

Policy on Water Quality

2.1
2.2
2.3

WaterAids principles & objectives

WAP Context
Objectives of the Policy

3.0

National Stakeholders

4.0

Responsibilities

5.0

High Risk Contaminants

5.1
5.2

Microbiological Contaminants
Chemical Contaminants

6.0

Proposed
Proposed Water Quality Standards

7.0

Testing Arrangements and Frequency of Testing

7.1
7.2

Arrangements and Resources

Frequency of Testing

8.0

Testing Methods, Equipment, and Financial Resources

9.0

Documentation, Reporting and Disseminating Test Results

10.0 FollowFollow -up Actions

1.0

Background

1.1.

Country Context

Pakistan lies in southern Asia, bordering with India in the east, Afghanistan in the west and
China in the north. The terrain consists of Indus plain in the east, mountains of Himalaya,
Karakuram and Hidukush ranges in the north, hill regions (up to 4700 m) in the north-west and
upland Baluchistan plateau in the west. The climate of the country is mostly arid to semi-arid
with average rainfall varying from less than 125 mm in Baluchistan to in excess of 1000 mm in
Islamabad, but becomes low again in northern mountains.
The Indus, the main river of Pakistan, has its source in the mountains of Karakuram range and
flows south-words through the provinces of Punjab and Sindh to Arabian Sea. Sutlej, Ravi,
Chenab and Jhelum are the major tributaries of Indus in Punjab. Relatively abundant water and
fertile plain have encourages major proportion of the population to settle in the main cities of
Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore. However, flooding along the Indus valley is a frequent problem.
Agriculture forms major part of national economy. 27% of the land is arable and principal crops
include cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, and maize. Most of the agriculture development is along
the Indus plain. Irrigation is a major aspect of agriculture development, much being from canalfed river water. Tube-well irrigation is also very common in the Indus plain. Fertilizers and
pesticides have widely been used in Indus plain. Industries have been developed in many urban
centres. Most important of this is the textile industry. Tanneries are also abundant in towns of
Kasur, Lahore as well as Karachi.
The geology of Pakistan is dominated by young (quaternary) sediments which outcrop over
large parts of the Indus plain and Baluchistan basins and are often 100 meters thick. The Indus
sediments are mainly alluvial and deltaic deposits, consisting mainly of fine-medium sand, silt
and clay.

Figure: Map of Pakistan

1.2.

Current Situation/Issues in Pakistan

Water Availability
Although Pakistan has adequate ground and surface water resources but rapid population
growth, urbanization and un-planned water consumption is affecting both quantity as well as
quality of water. This depletion of water resources and deteriorating water quality has resulted
in increased waterborne diseases. Per capita availability of water which was 5000 cubic meter
in 1951 has decreased to 1000 cubic meters and will further decrease to 660 by year 2025.
Amongst the provinces, Punjab has the best rural water supply system where only 7% of the
population has to depends on dug wells & river. In Sindh 24% of the rural population uses
water from un-protected sources while the ratio of the rural population using dug wells and
surface water in NWFP and Baluchistan is 46% & 72% respectively.
Water Quality
A national water quality study carried out in 2001 by Pakistan Council for Research in Water
Resources (PCRWR), covering 21 cities indicated that 50% of the samples had bacteriological
contamination.
Besides, samples from eight cities also had traces of arsenic above the WHO limits of 10 ppb.
This study also indicated that un-treated discharge of industrial effluents were effecting the
surface and ground water as the ground water samples from industrial areas of Karachi had
presence of lead, chromium and cyanides.
Some other factors having direct affect on water quality include:
-

non separation of municipal waste water and industrial effluents both flow into open
drains, which then flow to the nearby water bodies
Absence of regular monitoring mechanisms to assess the water quality
No approved surface or drinking water quality standards
Use of 5.6 million tonnes of fertilizer & 70,000 tonnes of pesticides This mixes with the
irrigation water & leaches through the soil into the groundwater aquifers
Industrial effluents from petrochemicals, paper & pulp, food processing, tanneries,
refineries, textile and sugar industries

The recently approved National Drinking Water Policy also recognizes the need to provide
access to safe and sustainable drinking water supply to the entire population of Pakistan by
2025 and the safe water refers to the water complying with National Drinking Water Quality
Standards.

2.0 Policy on Water Quality

2.1.

WaterAids principles & objectives

WaterAids vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and effective
sanitation, so that health benefits are maximized. WaterAid and its partners, work with
communities through various projects that integrates water supply with sanitation and hygiene
promotion.
WaterAid has recognized the need to develop a consistent approach to problem of water quality
in the countries where it operates, and to develop a water quality policy in the context of each
country that it works in.

WaterAids aims are that the quality of drinking-water delivered to consumers by the projects
that it supports should be:

Such that no significant health risk arises from its use

Conform to at least the broadly accepted quality standards of the region or the country
where the installation is located (or to better it, if this can be achieved at reasonable cost
and effort)
Acceptable in appearance, taste and odour

WaterAid recognises that in order to meet these objectives, there is a need to develop a
consistent approach to problems of water quality in the countries where it operates.

2.2. WAP Context

WaterAid Pakistan is working with 15 partners. Out of current WAP partners only two (KCS, AWF)
are involved in construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of water supply schemes.
However, in the coming years lot of partners have shown their interest for including water
supply into their project plans. In the new 5 year country strategy (2009-14), water supply and
water quality monitoring has been defined as one of the priority objectives by WAP and its
partners. However, looking into the volume of the current water supply plans, the capacity of
the partners to deal with water quality management issues, and lack of institutional and policy
framework at government level, we will start with very basic elements of water quality
management and subsequently move towards much advanced methods and techniques.
However, keeping in view the importance of the rights of beneficiaries to safe water, WaterAid,
its staff and partners are committed to evolve and follow a comprehensive policy for monitoring
the quality of water.

2.3. Objectives of the Policy

The key objectives of WAP policy on water quality testing are:

Define various standard methods & procedures used for monitoring drinking water
contamination
Provide information & guidelines on various standard parameters related to physical,
chemical & micro-biological quality of drinking water
Propose appropriate and affordable methods for treatment of contaminated Water
Provide a mandatory guidelines both for WAP and partners to follow for ensuring provision
of safe drinking Water

3.0 National Stakeholders

The table provides a list of some key actors including government, Research organizations, Non
Governmental Organizations and that are involved in monitoring and assessment of water
quality in Pakistan.
Stakeholder
Ministry of
Environment
Pakistan Council for
Research on Water
Resources (PCRWR)

Responsibility
Development and regulation of National
Water Quality Standards, guideline and limits
on water quality contaminants
National organizations with established
laboratories in all main districts that provides
support on testing micro-biological and

Nature of
Organization
Government
Government

Stakeholder

Responsibility

Nature of
Organization

chemical quality of water in accordance with

national standards
Pakistan Council for
Scientific & Industrial
Research (PCSIR)
National Institute of
Biotechnology and
Genetic Engineering
(NIBGE), Faisalabad
Shah Abdul Latif
University (SALU),
Khairpur
UNICEF
WHO
OXFAM
WaterAid

Public sector institute that also has facilities

for testing water quality

Government

The technical services division of this institute Research

has the facility for water quality testing
Institute
A university that has a specialized wing for
testing water quality

Academic
Institution

Closely working with Ministry of Environment

and local NGOs on water quality & sanitation
Working with government & NGOs on water
quality
Working with local NGOs on disaster
management and water quality management
Supports 15 national NGOs in implementation
of water supply & sanitation projects

UN
Organization
UN
Organization
INGO
INGO

Note: The above list is not complete and may need further inclusions.

4.0 Responsibilities
The key WAP staff involved in drafting, implementation, roll-out and monitoring of this policy is
as under:
Job title
Country Representative
Programme Manager (Punjab)
Programme Managers
(National, Punjab & Sindh)
Partners

Responsibility
Implementation and upholding of water
quality policy
Drafting, updating and rolling out of the
policy to WAP & partners
Monitoring application of the policy at
local level, training & orientation of
partners, and networking with relevant
stakeholders and institutes
Testing and passing results to WA on the
agreed format

Once the policy is finalized and approved, WAP will review and update this policy annually
keeping in view possible changes in the WHO guidelines, national standards, national
legislation etc.

5.0 High Risk Contaminants

There are two major types of high risk contaminants that pose potential health risks. These
include:

Microbiological Contamination &

Chemical Contamination

5.1.

Microbiological Contaminants

Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) conducted a national water quality
study in 2001. During first phase of this programme, covering 21 cities, 100% samples from 4
cities and 50% samples from 17 cities indicated bacteriological contamination. A second study
conducted by PCRWR in 2004 found no significant improvement and almost 95% of the shallow
ground supplies in Sindh had bacteriological contamination. The links between water quality
and health risks are well established and proved. An estimated 250,000 child deaths occur each
year in Pakistan due to waterborne diseases.

5.2. Chemical Contaminants

The chemical contamination mainly occurs due to sediments, industrial effluents, and
agricultural runoff. According to GOP figures, 5.6 million tonnes of fertilizer and 70,000 tonnes
of pesticides are being used in the country annually. These pesticides, mostly insecticides mix
with the irrigation water, which leaches through the soil into the ground water aquifers. Out of
107 samples of ground water collected between 1988 and 2000, 31 samples were found to have
contamination of pesticides beyond FAO/WHO safety limits.
Another major problem with ground water in Pakistan is the high salinity that occurs due to
water-logging from irrigation, dissolution of salts from sediments, industrial pollution and from
sea water intrusion. This problem affects large parts of Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and NWFP.
In addition to municipal & industrial effluents, contamination of ground water by arsenic is also
becoming a serious problem. In Sindh (Dadu, Khairpur) & Punjab (Multan, Shiekhupura, Lahore,
Kasur, Gujranwala & Bahawalpur), approximately 36% of the population is exposed to a level of
contamination higher than 10ppb and 16% is exposed to contamination of 50 ppb.
Excessive fluoride concentrations are a problem in parts of Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan.
Incidences of dental fluorosis are very common in Tharparker, Thar Desert, Makran area, Patoki,
Nowshera, the salt range, Kasur, and Bahawalpur. Concentrations up to 29 mg/l have been
reported.
The table below provides a brief summary of key water contaminants:
Contaminant
Co ntaminant

Microbiological
contamination waterborne
pathogens

Fluoride

Concentration range
Based on very limited
number of water quality
tests (about 50)
conducted by WAP
partners, the thermotolerant faecal coli form
were counted between
30-300 cfu/100ml have
been observed in
community based
groundwater supplies.
Upto 29 mg/l has been
observed

Location

Risk to health

Water
quality
testing by

Cause of diarrhoeal
diseases, fever, death,
parasitic infection. The
greater the level of
contamination,
the
greater the risk of
infection.

Fluvial
aquifers in
the Punjab,
and Sindh
region

Concentrations above
1.5mg/l and lower than
3.0mg/l have been
found to cause dental
imperfections. Greater

Contaminant
Co ntaminant

Arsenic

Concentration range

In Sindh & Punjab 36% of

the population is exposed
to Arsenic contamination
higher than 10ppb & up to
50 ppb

Location

Sindh &
Punjab

Risk to health
concentrations have
been found to cause
bone defects and
deformity.
Ingesting inorganic
arsenic increases the
risks of skin cancer and
tumours of bladder,
kidney, liver & lung.

6.0 Proposed Water Quality Standards

Keeping in view the WHO guidelines and the proposed national water quality standard that are
still in the draft shape, WAP would like to set out following organizational water quality
standards:
Sr. #.

WHO
Values

Parameter

National
1
Limits
Li mits

WAP Limits

Justification

A. PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
1.

Colour

15 TCU

<15TCU

<15 TCU

2.

Taste & Odour

Acceptable

Acceptable

Acceptable

3.

Turbidity

< 5 NTU

<5 NTU

< 5 NTU

4.

Total Dissolved
<1000
Solids (mg/l)

<1000

<1000

Colour above 15 TCU

will be detectable
hence users may not
accept this
Users Acceptability
High level of turbidity
will encourage growth
of bacteria
Above this limit the
water will become
unacceptable and user
may turn to an unprotected water source

B. CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

1.

pH

6.5 8.5

6.5 8.5

6.5 8.5

2.

Total Hardness
as CaCo3
(mg/l)

------

< 500

< 500

3.

Nitrate (mg/l)

50

< 50

< 50

4.

Arsenic (mg/l)

0.01

0.05

0.05

5.

Fluoride (mg/l)

1.5

< 1.5

< 1.5

6.

Residual Free
Chlorine (mg/l)

0.2 0.5

0.2 0.5

0.2 0.5

National Water Quality Standards are not yet approved and are in draft

Water is corrosive
below 6.5 & soapy
above 8.5
In absence of alternate
source the value may
be revised
Above this limit, the
illness called BlueBaby Syndrome occurs
0.05 is acceptable limit
Same as proposed
national standards
This value should be at
user end while at
source level it should
be between

Sr. #.

Parameter

WHO
Values

National
1
Limits
Li mits

WAP Limits

Justification
0.5 1.5

C. MICROBIAL PARAMETERS

Thermotolerant
Faecal
Zero
Coliforms
(MPN/100 ml)

1.

0 (Piped
System) &
0 10
(Community
schemes
including
shallow
hand
pumps &
wells)

Zero

Although WHO &

National standards for
Thermotolerant
Coliforms are 0/100 ml
however, WHO
guidelines relax it up
to 10fc/100ml for
community managed
water supply schemes.

7.0 Testing Arrangements & Frequency

7.1

Arrangements & Resources

Currently none of the WAP partners or WAP itself has the technical capacity and required
equipment for conducting water quality analysis for checking physical, chemical or
microbiological parameters. However, those partners involved in water related projects have
been using national research laboratories and academic institutions for getting their water
samples tested. Some of the prominent institutes and organizations involved in water quality
testing include:

Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR)

Pakistan Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR)
National Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad
Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur
Non Governmental Organizations and private institutes

All the above institutes have very good state of the art testing facilities, equipments and
Human resources and charge between Rs. 2000 3000 for conducting complete microbiological
and chemical analysis of water sample.
WAP and partners will continue using services of the above listed institutes till either some of
our partners have developed their in-house capacity and skills in water quality testing or WAP
enters into partnership with some potential organization/partner that could provide these
services.
In the meanwhile, WAP will include periodic monitoring of all the newly developed, improved
and rehabilitated water supply schemes especially for high risk contaminants.

7.2
Sr. #.
1.

Frequency of Testing
Parameter to
be Tested

Frequency of
Testing
At the beginning
and then twice a
Microbiological
year during dry and
rainy season

Remarks

Randomly selected 15% of the total

water points especially shallow wells,
storage tanks, intakes and distribution
chambers

Sr. #.

Parameter to
be Tested

Frequency of
Testing

Remarks
All newly developed surface water
schemes, tube wells and rain water
harvesting systems
Arsenic has been detected in Sindh &
Punjab so it is suggested to check each
new well and test it for arsenic. In addition
15% of the other wells & hand pumps
(randomly selected) should also be tested
at least once a year
Surface water sources especially those
located near agricultural forms

2.

Arsenic

Once a year or as
situation demands

3.

Nitrate

Once a year

4.

Fluoride

5.

Free Residual
Chlorine

6.

Turbidity

7.

pH

Once during
confirmation &
more if
concentrations are
high
Once a month for
chlorinated
schemes
Each water source
needs to be tested
at the beginning
and then twice a
year through visual
testing
Each source to be
tested once during
confirmation

Especially during conflicts & emergency

when populations are displaced

WAP to support partners in developing

sanitary inspection guidelines & systems

8.0 Testing Methods, Equipment, and Financial Resources

As most of the water quality testing will be done through specialized institutes so WAP and
partners will have to make sure that they are following the proper quality control mechanisms
while sampling and testing the water samples.
WAP will work with relevant partners This section should outline the methods, equipment,
training and financial resources required to test for each high risk contaminant. However, in
cases of parameters where no formal testing is required, WAP will work with partners working
on water projects to develop and implement sanitary inspection systems.

9.0 Documenting, Reporting and Dissemination of Test Results

WAP partners must keep the record of all water quality testing for critical contaminants
including microbiological contamination, arsenic, nitrates, and fluorides. A mutually agreed
format for recording these results will be developed.

All relevant partners will keep a systematic record file of these results containing periodic
results from different geographic locations with full details like GPS coordinates nature of
source etc. Partner will have to submit soft copy of these periodic results to WAP along with
their quarterly reports.

Partners will ensure that all water quality results, especially poor results are communicated
to communities and other relevant stakeholders. The important point is to discuss below
standard results with relevant line departments including district government, health and
Public Health Engineering Department.

10.0 Follow-up Actions

This document will serve as a guideline for WAP programme staff, partners and other relevant
stakeholders for planning, developing, supervising and maintaining water supply and sanitation
facilities. Presently the document has been prepared mostly relying on secondary data and the
currently on-going water projects and there have been hardly any consultations with partners
and other stakeholders. This draft document will have to be shared with the partners and
stakeholders who have expertise in water to seek and incorporate their views before these
guidelines are finally implemented. WAP will also update these policy guidelines in light of the
new development in the sector in terms of revised quality standards, introduction of new
technology etc.
To follow-up on the water quality results obtained, especially for cases that fails to match the
set quality standards, the results will be discussed with communities and partners involved.
The main focus would be to carry-out further detailed investigation of the facilities to find
source of contamination or finding alternate sources.

WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the
worlds poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision makers to
maximise our impact.

For queries contact WaterAid in Pakistan

House No. 608, Service Road (East)
Sector G-10/4, Islamabad
Phone: +92 51 210 0708
Visit: www.wateraid.org
WaterAid is a registered charity in the UK (Numbers 288701)
(England and Wales) and SC039479 (Scotland)