KARACHl: The provincial health ministry has said the programme launched in 2006 to ensure consumption of iodised salt in four districts of Karachi has been broadened across all the districts of Sindh, it emerged on Sunday.

`The project aims to ensure that all the edible salt produced or imported from other provinces must be adequately iodised,` said a senior official in the health ministry.

The official added that the average salt iodisation in those districts had increased to 70 per cent at production level against the baseline of around 14pc four years ago.

Officials said the total population of Sindh was 44 million and an annual requirement of edible salt was 177,000 tonnes, of which edible salt produced in Sindh by salt processors was 77,000 tonnes and the remaining came from other provinces.

The officials said Sindh had 174 salt processors. The programme was originally started in the province in 2006 targeting just four districts of Karachi.

`After successful implementation and consolidation, 14 additional districts were taken under the programme in 2010. Now it is successfully implemented in entire Sindh, said a senior official.

Experts say iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormones which are needed for optimal mental and physical development, physical growth, regulation of body metabolism (generation and utilisation of body energy), helps white cells to inactivate bacteria, and most of all aids in reproduction.

A person requires a teaspoon of iodine in one`s lifetime. As iodine cannot be stored for long periods by the body, tiny amounts are needed regularly. The deficiency causes increased child mortality, mental retardation, deafness, stunting, retarded physical development, intellectual impairment, hypothyroidism, cretinism, goitre and maternal mortality and morbidity.

The officials claimed the programme was based on the effective monitoring mechanism in which the entire province was divided into six zones.

An awareness campaign had been launched to promote iodised salt consumption in Sindh to prevent people from iodine deficiency, they added.

They said that action would be taken against salt processors, hotels and shopkeepers who were not using iodised salt.

Experts say that iodised salt use is an easy solution to many mental disorders. lodine deficiency can also cause complications in pregnant women, children and elders.