Socio-economic Impacts on Human Life in Arsenic Affected Area of Basti Rasul Pur, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

Waqas Hanif,Lt Col Islam ul Haq,Ghalib Hasnain,Shahid Durez

doi:10.5539/sar.v1n2p100

Abstract

<p>The availability and scarcity of both surface and ground water alongwith adverse impacts of contaminated water have become major problems in Pakistan. Groundwater arsenic contamination in the southern part of the country has exponentially endangered the human life and complicated the efforts to provide safe drinking water in the arsenic contaminated areas. To gauge the adverse impacts amongst the affected population, household survey in Basti Rasul Pur district Rahim Yar Khan was conducted on core socio-economic indicators such as household conditions, sex ratio, earning sources, literacy, health morbidity, water borne diseases, drinking water contamination, education, employment and unemployment, expenditure on hospitalization for drawing best possible conclusions. Resultantly, sex ratio observed was about 1.01% for adults and 9.8 % for children. A total of 77 % water samples were found with arsenic contamination, due to which 50 % people were found with arsencosis symptoms and 60% of their earnings were being spent on hospitalization. Due to poverty and illiteracy, the entire population was un-aware of the adverse impacts of drinking water arsenic contamination. There is a dire need of installation of sustainable community based arsenic mitigation technologies for provisioning of safe drinking water to affected community.</p>

Highlights

Compatible socio-economic conditions of a particular area guarantees quality of life in such environments
To gauge the adverse impacts amongst the affected population, household survey in Basti Rasul Pur district Rahim Yar Khan was conducted on core socio-economic indicators such as household conditions, sex ratio, earning sources, literacy, health morbidity, water borne diseases, drinking water contamination, education, employment and unemployment, expenditure on hospitalization for drawing best possible conclusions
The health benefits from reducing water-related disease can in some circumstances be transmuted into a greater work capacity, which may contribute to increased production and to overall economic development

Summary

Introduction

Compatible socio-economic conditions of a particular area guarantees quality of life in such environments. Access to safe drinking water is one of the most important determinants of health and socio economic development (Nahar et al, 2008). The consumption of arsenic contaminated water causes adverse impacts on human health which in-return detoriates socio-economic status of the population. Inadequate drinking water results in more sickness and death, and causes higher health care cost, low work productivity, lower school enrollment, and increased poverty. Water intended for human consumption should be safe and wholesome. This has been defined as “water that is free from pathogenic agents, free from harmful chemical substances, pleasant to taste, i.e. free from color, odor, and usable for domestic purposes” (Park, 1997). The health benefits from reducing water-related disease can in some circumstances be transmuted into a greater work capacity, which may contribute to increased production and to overall economic development

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Results