QUETTA: The Balochistan government has constituted a special committee to investigate the presence of a dangerous level of fluoride in the region’s drinking water, especially in Quetta.
The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department will lead the inquiry, which will be given a comprehensive review of the fluoride concentration. Committee expert teams will collect random samples of water from different locations for standard analysis to ensure accurate results.
Provincial Minister Sardar Abdul Rahman Khatran emphasized the importance of following a standard scientific protocol during the interrogation. Khattar announced, “There will be zero tolerance for negligence in the supply of safe drinking water.
The committee has been instructed to present its results within four weeks, identifying potential sources of pollution and evaluating the potential risks of pollution in water supply.
This reaction came in light of a study led by Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (Bothemes) PhD scholar, Timur Shah Durrani. Between 2022 and 2024, Durrani collected water samples from 100 tube wells in the dense population of Quetta.
Research has revealed that 52 % of the drinking water supply consists of high fluoride levels, described as a “invisible poisoning” supporting bone diseases.
With the public health, authorities are urged to work faster. Minister Khattar confirmed the government’s commitment to maintain water safety and ensure clean drinking water for the population.
