GILGIT, the bustling heart of Gilgit-Baltistan, is facing a growing crisis that often goes unnoticed until it directly affects households: pollution in potable water supplies. Recent social media reports and local accounts indicate that many water reservoirs supplying the city are not being routinely tested or monitored. As a result, thousands of families are unknowingly exposed to unsafe drinking water that is fueling the spread of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, and dysentery.
The Sources of Contamination
Several factors contribute to this alarming situation:
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Lack of testing and oversight: The water reservoirs, including those operated by WASA at Danyore, have no regular mechanism for quality testing.
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Aging and exposed reservoirs: Many supply tanks and channels remain uncovered or poorly maintained, leaving them vulnerable to contamination from runoff, animals, and human activity.
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Environmental hazards: Seasonal floods and landslides in Gilgit and adjoining valleys frequently damage supply channels, allowing sediment and waste to mix with drinking water.
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Institutional gaps: The absence of qualified environmental engineers and dedicated technical staff means no one is consistently accountable for water quality.
The outcome is predictable: contamination spreads unchecked, and local hospitals and clinics are seeing increasing cases of typhoid and other preventable diseases.
Public Health at Risk
The health consequences of polluted water are not abstract statistics. Families in Gilgit city and surrounding localities like Danyore, Sultanabad, and Jutial are directly affected. Children and elderly citizens are particularly vulnerable, often suffering repeated infections that burden both households and healthcare services. Lost working days, medical expenses, and reduced quality of life deepen the problem.
What Needs to Be Done
This situation can be turned around, but only through urgent and coordinated action. Three immediate steps are essential:
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Professional Monitoring: All major water reservoirs in Gilgit must be staffed with environmental engineers and technicians. These professionals should be tasked with daily inspections, sample collection, and preliminary testing.
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Collaborative Testing: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the newly established water testing laboratory at Karakoram International University (KIU) should work hand in hand with WASA Gilgit. Weekly or monthly results must be made public, both to reassure citizens and to enforce accountability.
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Transparent Communication: A simple but effective system of publishing test results through official social media channels and local radio can empower households to take protective measures, such as boiling water when contamination levels rise.
The Role of Institutions
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WASA Gilgit must take ownership of the city’s water safety by posting qualified staff at every reservoir and supply head.
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GB-EPA should enforce mandatory testing and publish compliance reports.
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KIU can play a central role by offering its laboratory capacity for reliable water-quality analysis and training for local staff.
Together, these institutions can create a cycle of monitoring, analysis, and communication that prevents outbreaks before they spread.
A Shared Responsibility
Ensuring safe drinking water is not only a matter of infrastructure — it is about restoring public trust. The citizens of Gilgit deserve the basic guarantee that the water reaching their homes will not make them sick. By professionalizing oversight, institutionalizing laboratory testing, and sharing results openly, Gilgit can set a model for safe water management across Gilgit-Baltistan.
The challenge is urgent, but the solutions are practical and within reach. What is needed now is commitment — from authorities to enforce standards, from institutions to collaborate, and from civil society to demand transparency. Safe water is a fundamental right, and it must not remain a privilege in Gilgit.
Author’s note: This article is based on recent public concerns and health reports highlighting water safety issues in Gilgit city and adjoining areas. It is a call for authorities and institutions to act before the situation worsens.
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