{
  "id": 15978729,
  "title": "Major cities: Untreated sewage, industrial wastewater posing risks to rivers, canals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/major-cities-untreated-sewage-industrial-wastewater-posing-risks-to",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-22T00:52:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445324/major-cities-untreated-sewage-industrial-wastewater-posing-risks-to-rivers-canals"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hyderabad's water experts warned at a seminar that untreated domestic sewage and industrial wastewater from the country’s major cities are threatening rivers, canals, groundwater, and coastal ecosystems in Sindh. The seminar, held at Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, focused on developing local wastewater treatment solutions for rural communities.\n\nSAU VC Prof. Dr Altaf Ali Siyal stressed the need for scientific research, effective wastewater management, and coordinated measures to protect public health and the environment. He expressed concern over total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in the Indus River reaching around 1,000, calling for further investigation.\n\nDr Siyal also highlighted the deterioration of Manchar Lake, once a crucial freshwater resource, and the decline in mangrove forests along the Karachi coast, while noting an increase in mangrove coverage in Thatta and Sujawal areas. He warned that sugar mills in Thatta, Badin, and Sujawal were discharging untreated wastewater into Nareri Lake, causing severe environmental damage.\n\nDr Muneer Ahmed Mangrio, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, reported that Sindh has over 10,000 industries, with around 360 units in Hyderabad discharging wastewater without treatment into local water bodies. He emphasized the importance of effective industrial wastewater management to prevent further contamination.\n\nProf. Dr Mahmood Leghari, Principal Investigator of the research project, explained that many rural communities in Sindh lack centralized wastewater systems, making decentralized, low-cost treatment options vital for improving sanitation and public health. The research is exploring filter substrates such as gravel and biomass, combined with biochar, to treat domestic wastewater in decentralized systems.\n\nPCRWR Deputy Director Dr Nazar Gul presented data on the annual wastewater generation in 10 major Pakistani cities, which totals approximately 1.334 billion cubic meters, primarily from Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. He noted that this wastewater enters rivers, canals, drainage channels, agricultural lands, and the Arabian Sea.",
  "summary": "HYDERABAD: Untreated domestic sewage and industrial wastewater from Pakistan’s major cities are posing serious risks to rivers, canals, groundwater and coastal ecosystems, threatening public health, aquatic life and water security in Sindh, water experts warned at a seminar held at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, on Wednesday. The seminar was organized by the Department of Energy…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "The discharge of untreated industrial and domestic waste into Sindh’s water bodies forces a shift toward decentralized, low-cost treatment solutions to protect vital ecosystems and public health.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}