LAHORE - PML-N government in Punjab will form a joint working group comprising Water and Sanitation Agency, representatives of government and civil society organisations to ensure safe drinking water in the province. The government will make concerted and coordinated efforts to resolve environment problem including water and air pollution. A comprehensive anti-encroachment campaign would be launched soon. This was stated by PML-N stalwart and Former Federal Minister for Culture and Youth Affairs Khawaja Saad Rafiq while addressing a seminar on 'Waterborne diseases' held under the aegis of Al-Khidmat foundation Lahore presided over by Naimatullah khan, Ex-district nazim Karachi and President of Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan. Hafiz Salman Butt, President Al-Khidmat Foundation Lahore and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. He praised Al-Khidmat Foundation Lahore's Anti-Water Born disease campaign with endeavour to provide healthy human environment by eradicating water borne disease. He also called upon the civil society organisations to contribute towards such efforts to improve, protect and maintain the quality of fresh water fit for public. He observed that water was a critical resource and achieving water security was a major priority of the government. He said water borne diseases were one of the major hazards for public health and the government was committed to providing safe drinking water to the entire population of the Province. He further said that deterioration and contamination of lakes, rivers and groundwater aquifers had increased water borne diseases and other health hazards and the Punjab government will launch a project involving preventive steps against water borne disease and awareness programme to check contamination in water sources. He showed concern over the level of pollution in river bodies and quality of water being supplied for human consumption, pollution threats to water resources and future scarcity of water in view of excessive extraction of ground water. Ex-district nazim Karachi and Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan President Naimatullah Khan announced to provide five filtration plants for Lahore. He said that government departments, civil society, private sector organisations, philanthropists and communities had to come forward to ensure the safe drinking water for everyone. He said that every fifth person in the country suffered from illness associated with pollution, and 40 percent of deaths in urban centers were caused by unsafe water. About 47 percent of the population of Lahore had no access to safe drinking. He said that Al-Khidmat foundation would make all out efforts to get sufficient knowledge regarding waterborne diseases and its affect on human health to understand the overall affect of polluted water on environment, to conduct a research to know the current status of unfit water in Lahore; to educate people regarding waterborne diseases by using electronic and print media. 'The original quality of water sources has been altered by the impacts of various human, industrial and agricultural activities in Pakistan. These contaminants such as microorganisms, chemicals, toxic substances, industrial wastes or wastewater in higher concentration makes water unfit for drinking. Such contaminants cause acute or chronic health effects such as circulatory system problem, skin damage, kidney damage, gastrointestinal distress, blue baby syndrome, increased risk of cancer and nervous system disorder,' they added. . They said that in order to improve the health of inhabitants of Pakistan both quantitative and qualitative analysis was required on local level which was only possible by the establishment of water quality monitoring labs at district level.