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'Half of the population without toilets'
 Only 54 percent of Pakistan's population has latrine and toilet facilities, according to a study on sanitation facilities conducted by the environment ministry.
| A greater proportion owns guns, and probably about the same proportion owns heavy weapons. Much better to spend the money on weaponry than on plumbing. |
Out of this 54 percent, 70 percent reportedly live in urban areas, while 30 percent reside in rural areas. The report said that in urban areas only 44 percent of the households used underground drainage systems, while in rural areas, 68 percent of the households had no such system, adding that most of the drainage systems lacked maintenance. It was revealed that there were very few sewage treatment plants and over 50 percent of the urban population lived in 'katchi abadis' (slums) whose sanitation plans had not been integrated into the city's sanitation plans.
| On the other hand, Pakistan does have a nuclear weapons program, so it considers itself a regional power. |
Most small towns were found to be without an underground sewerage system, while most of them used open drains that posed health hazards to residents.
| Approximately 5000 years ago, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, on the very same real estate, had covered sewers. But they hadn't yet invented the turban, so that probably explains it. |
It was further revealed that more than 50 percent of the garbage generated from major cities was lifted and dumped into sites that were not officially approved, while most cities were without any waste management system at all.
Posted by: Fred 2006-03-18 |
