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Toxic Wastewater from Nooriabad Factories Threatens Keenjhar Lake, Livelihoods
Toxic chemical water from Nooriabad factories is contaminating Keenjhar Lake, killing livestock & spreading disease in Thatta & Karachi. Locals protest, demand urgent govt action.
ND
by News Desk
2025-07-14
Toxic Wastewater from Nooriabad Factories Threatens Keenjhar Lake, Livelihoods

Toxic chemical wastewater discharged from factories in the Nooriabad industrial zone is overflowing from the Kalokohar dam into natural water reservoirs near village Darya Khan Jakro and reaching the historic Keenjhar Lake, sparking environmental alarm, health hazards, and local outrage.

The chemical discharge, reportedly coming from National Food, Asia Board, Best Board, Al-Karam Mills, and Al-Raheem Textile Mills, is untreated and heavily polluted, villagers say. The affected communities are experiencing a sharp rise in skin diseases, stomach infections, and hepatitis—especially in areas that consume Keenjhar’s water, including Karachi, Thatta, and Nooriabad.

Lake Ecosystem Under Threat

The water from the Kalokohar dam is breaching through the newly constructed levy, leading to muddy contamination of Keenjhar Dhand, which is part of the Keenjhar Lake system, a Ramsar site and key source of drinking water and biodiversity.
Residents and environmentalists warn that aquatic life in the Dhand is dying, and the aesthetic and ecological beauty of Keenjhar is being destroyed.

Livelihoods at Risk

Local villagers — including Ali Mir Jakhro, Gul Beg Jakhro, Wahid Palari, Saleem Jakhro, Achar Jakhro, and others — held a protest demonstration, telling media that their livestock are dying after drinking the poisoned water.
“Our lives depend on livestock. But the factories' toxic waste is flowing freely through the area, and our animals die after grazing near this water,” they said.

They blamed the factory management for neglecting mandatory treatment plant installations, and warned that their communities are being exposed to a slow, deadly poisoning.

Wasted Investment and Health Fallout

Villagers also revealed that a small dam built with World Bank funding, worth crores of rupees, was intended to serve clean water to residents, but is now filled with toxic industrial waste.
The dam is overflowing into Keenjhar Lake — turning a once-vital water source into a public health hazard for thousands in the region.

“We urge the authorities — especially the DCOs of Jamshoro and Thatta and the Environment Pollution Control Department — to stop this toxic discharge immediately and take legal action against the factory owners,” they demanded.

They have warned that if the authorities fail to act, they will launch a massive protest campaign across Sindh.

 
Tagged:

SaveKeenjhar

NooriabadPollution

WaterCrisisSindh

ToxicWaste
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