Balochistan forms committee to probe high fluoride levels in water

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has formed a committee to probe the presence of high fluoride levels in drinking water, following ARY News report.

As per details, the Balochistan govt after taking notice of ARY News report has formed a special committee of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department to investigate the issue.

According to the official statement, the committee, comprising expert teams, will conduct a comprehensive assessment of fluoride concentration in drinking water.

To ensure accuracy, random water samples will be collected for quality analysis, the statement added.

The expert committee has been directed to submit its findings within four weeks, according to the PHE Department.

Meanwhile, Provincial Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran has instructed authorities to follow standard scientific protocols for analyzing water quality.

The committee will also work to identify sources of contamination, ensuring a detailed examination of potential pollution sources.

“There will be zero tolerance for negligence in providing clean drinking water,” affirmed Minister Khetran.

Read more: Study reveals alarming levels of fluoride in Quetta’s drinking water

A study found that 52 per cent of drinking water in Quetta is contaminated with high levels of fluoride, a hidden poison that is causing bone diseases.

The research was conducted by Taimoor Shah Durrani, a PhD scholar and teacher at the Department of Hydrochemistry at Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS),

He collected water samples from at least 100 tubewells in densely populated areas between 2022 and 2024.

The study’s findings are alarming, with a significant concentration of fluoride detected in the drinking water.