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Pakistan's Water Crisis Fuels Kidney Failure Epidemic
13 Mar
Summary
- Up to 80% of Pakistan's population lacks safe drinking water access.
- Nearly 25,000 to 50,000 new end-stage renal disease patients annually.
- PMA demands national emergency plan for clean water provision.
Pakistan faces an escalating kidney failure crisis, with contaminated water identified as a primary cause. This year, the country anticipates between 25,000 and 50,000 new end-stage renal disease patients needing life-saving treatments. Studies indicate up to 80% of the population lacks safe drinking water, a situation more dire in rural Sindh and Balochistan.
Water sources across Pakistan, including Karachi, are contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic and lead, as well as pathogens. This contamination is increasingly linked to rising kidney disease cases, even in children. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has called for a national emergency plan to provide clean water.
Chronic kidney disease already affects 15-20% of Pakistani adults over 40. The PMA urges increased health spending, early screening for diabetes and hypertension, and expansion of dialysis facilities. They also advise the public to consume only boiled or filtered water and avoid high-sodium foods to protect kidney health.
