LAHORE - Despite spending millions of rupees on projects of installation of water filtration plants, replacement of rusty water supply lines, increasing number of collection of water samples from 25 to 40 daily and purification of water through chlorination, the provision of clean water is still a distant dream for Lahorites. According to United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report, 47 per cent drinking water in Lahore is unhealthy, contaminated with health hazardous "microorganisms and chemicals," creating serious health problems. Main factors are mismanagement, delay in replacement of water supply lines, non-replacement of filters in water filtration plants over the last six months and leakage of sewerage pipelines into water distribution lines. Alkhidmat Foundation, an NGO, conducted a research report about comparison of bacteriological quality of water during the week and found 37.2 per cent water highly contaminated. According to the report, water samples were collected from 539 localities in which Gulberg topped showing 64 per cent water contamination followed by Multan Road Chungi areas with 57.1 per cent, Shad Bagh with 56.4 and so on. While in posh areas average water contamination stood at 22.9 per cent. Contrary to the facts, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has termed the water being supplied to the consumers as fit and best for use based on the tests of 40 water samples carried out daily in WASA laboratory complying with the directives of LDA Director General Irfan Ali. When asked to comment on the issue, WASA deputy managing director (operations) Haroon Mukhtar said agency was collecting 40 water samples from towns and its 22 sub-divisions daily. He said that these samples were also being checked by independent sources to ensure authenticity of test reports. He said that out of 40, only 3 or 4 samples were found infested. WASA laboratory Chemist Ms Zainab Soharwardi told The Nation that on Thursday "we collected samples from Garden Town, Model Town, Faisal Town, Beghum Pura, Sadiq Pura, Min Mir Colony and Sabzazar including sub-divisions. She said that two teams had been task in this regard. She said when tested though Membrane filtration process, water was found disinfested. She termed the reports false claiming 47 per cent or 37.2 water unfit for use. It may be recalled that polluted water supply is causing hepatitis , stomach, skin diseases on alarming level. It is estimated that if clean drinking water is ensured, 60 per cent of all diseases would disappear. It is being observed that water is usually relatively clean at the source, but becomes contaminated by the time it reaches the end users. During interaction with media persons, WASA managing director Pervaiz Akhtar said that if there was some level of contamination, it was due to consumers because drinking water got contaminated in service pipes. He said WASA started a campaign to resolve the issue and informed the consumers in every water bill to replace their service pipes, but unfortunately people did not pay heed. There are a number of factors involved in the contamination of water. Under the Clean Drinking Water Programme started on the directives of President Musharraf at the cost of Rs 8 billion after a report carried out on the issue of Pakistan's Water at Risk conducted by the Worldwide Fund for Nature which indicated bacteriological contamination in the water being supplied around the country, water filtration plants have been installed in most of the towns in first phase in Punjab and other provinces. It is learnt that 10 water filtration plants have been set up at Govt. College for Women Baghbanpura, Gulistan Colony, Karim Park, Rehman Pura, Bakar Mandi, Makkah Colony, Texali Gate, Bhagatpura, Ismaeel Nagar and Race Course in the Lahore. But it is matter of concern some filtration plants are in non-operative position while some are in dire need of fresh filters as they have not been changed more than six months. The Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources reported that water of most filtration plants was contaminated with microorganisms. The acceptable level of chlorine in drinking water is 0.04 particles per million but the chlorine's ratio has been found 0.1 ppm or 250 per cent more than the acceptable level.