Karachi Coastal Waters Toxicity

The mega port city of Karachi discharges almost all of its industrial effluents into the local drains (nullah’s) creeks and sea. These industrial effluents contain highly toxic substances like heavy metals, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous chemicals which contaminate the water supply and endanger both marine species and humans . Aquatic life is devastated, fish stocks depleted , marine ecosystems disrupted  causing irreversible harm to fish, plants and microorganisms and the toxic substances move up the food chain being ultimately consumed by humans . Continuous and long term exposure to such industrial pollutants cause cancers, neurological disorders and reproductive problems. This is perhaps the only mega industrial and port city where there is scant disregard to the untreated sewage and industrial effluents being dumped into the water sources and the sea. Swimming and sailing in these waters mean ingesting such hazardous chemicals.