In its ongoing efforts to ensure food and water safety across the province, the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) recently conducted two major operations in Thatta and Karachi.
In Thatta, the SFA team, led by food safety officer Natasha alias Marium, seized 12,000 liters of unsafe cooking oil during a raid on a distribution unit. The substandard oil, prepared for sale under local brand names, posed a significant health risk to the public. The SFA confiscated the entire stock and fined the unit Rs500,000 for distributing low-quality oil. Director General of the SFA, Muzamil Hussain Halepoto, emphasized the importance of public health, stating, “We will not tolerate the sale of unsafe cooking oil. This action is a crucial step in protecting consumers, and such operations will continue to ensure only safe, high-quality products are available in the market.”
In a separate operation in Karachi, the SFA inspected Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants across the South and East districts. Serious violations were found at 11 plants, including microbial contamination, rusted equipment, outdated filters, and unsanitary water tanks, all of which failed to meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards. These plants were sealed to prevent further risk to public health. Director General Halepoto reiterated their commitment to ensuring RO plants meet international quality standards and vowed to continue cracking down on substandard facilities.
The Sindh Food Authority has inspected 463 food business units and RO plants across the province, finding 233 units either closed or relocated, and inspecting 58 newly identified plants. The public is encouraged to report issues related to substandard RO plants or adulterated food products via the SFA’s WhatsApp complaint number: 0330-0116533.
Fumigation Operations Against Dengue: In a separate initiative, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah announced a comprehensive fumigation campaign in Karachi to combat the spread of dengue and other diseases. The campaign will be conducted across 25 town municipal corporations (TMCs) in Karachi, targeting areas such as Saddar, Lyari, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Sohrab Goth, Jinnah, and Korangi. The goal is to eliminate dengue larvae through extensive spray and fumigation operations across the city.