The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Tuesday warned of irrigating vegetables and fruits by sewerage water and water contaminated with textile waste, as they caused fatal diseases (like hepatitis and cancer) for consumers. Otherwise, PFA would take stern legal action against violators by discarding ready crops in the fields. The food authority also took other department concerned on board by advising Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and industrial personnel to keep an eye on such activities of growing crops by polluted water. PFA also hinted at taking departmental action against the personnel who would ignore their duties. According to Director General Noorul Amin Mengal, PFA’s slogan of providing healthy food “from farm to fork” is not merely a saying but is our practical priority. A Pakistan Agricultural Research Council report has revealed that the use of sewerage water for cultivation of vegetables as well as for wheat and other crops is hazardous to human health. It says sewerage water is not only hazardous, but discharge of acids and chemicals from factories make it more dangerous. PFA has also suggested an alternative way of using sewerage water by recommending its use on non-edible crops like bamboos, flowers and indoor plants.
