High level rivers' contamination badly impacting fish populations, can spread cancer among humans.

PESHAWAR -- Researchers working on a project to analyze endocrine disrupting chemicals and types in Kabul and Swat rivers have warned that high level contamination in both the rivers is badly impacting fish populations.

'Our research studies during the project found high concentration of phthalates, dissolved form of plastic, which is badly affecting fish health and diversity in both the major rivers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,' informed Dr. Bushra Khan, Associate Professor, Environmental Science Department University of Peshawar.

Dr. Bushra has recently completed a three- year project titled as `Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in Kabul and Swat Rivers and their impact on Fish Population and Rural Community Livelihood'.

The project is jointly carried out by the Environmental Science Department University of Peshawar in collaboration with Purdue University Indiana (USA). The project helped four students in Pakistan to do research for PhD studies and four MS. While three students in the USA are doing PhD and three MS on the basis of research and analysis in this project.

Talking to reporter, Dr. Bushra informed that project research found high concentration of phthalates in both the rivers, mostly in Kabul, which is affecting fish population by damaging the reproduction capability of fish due to hormonal changes.

Phthalates, she continued, are known carcinogen which are not only causing decline in fish population but also can spread cancer among humans because this water is used for irrigation and can enter into the food chain. Water sampling from eight locations in Kabul river, from Warsak to Attock and 12 locations from Madyan, Panjigram to Landakay at Swat river in two seasons, summer and winter, found more than two dozen types of chemicals including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, contaminated sediments etc.

The phthalates which are also known as plasticizers were of different types including Benzyl Butyl, Di nonyl, Diethyl, Diisobutyl, Bis and others. Bisphenol A, another plasticizer known to disrupt the endocrine system, was also found in most of the samples but at lower concentration than phthalates.

These chemicals are getting accumulated in river water due to discharge of untreated effluent of more than 100 small and large scale industries besides municipal waste of different big cities including Swat, Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar and Nowshera, Bushra opined. Due to bad impact on fish health, the number of fish species in Kabul river...