June 15, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1423

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THATTA, June 14: At least 77.12 per cent of the population of Thatta District lacks sanitation facilities, one of the major reasons for epidemic diseases like Hepatitis, Asthma, and Malaria breaking out.

This was revealed in a study carried out by an NGO, Goth Sudhar Sangat, in Thatta District recently.

Ghulam Mustafa Zaur, chief of the Goth Sudhar Sangat, told this correspondent that only 4.51 per cent families had their own lavatories, 13.72 per cent used katcha lavatories, and the rest, ie 81.77 per cent, used open spaces, which resulted in epidemic diseases breaking out among human beings and cattle.

The survey, which was conducted in ten villages of Mirpur Bathoro Taluka, further reveals that 469 families were residing in 306 houses. The number of males being 632 which comes about to 25.96 per cent, the number of females being 584 which comes about to 23.99 per cent, the number of boys being 628 which comes about to 25.80 per cent, and the number of girls being 590 which comes about to 24.23 per cent.

Out of the 306 houses, 34 or 11.11 per cent were wooden, 28 or 9.15 per cent semi-katcha houses, 86 or 28.10 per cent huts, and 158 or 51.83 per cent were made of straw.

As per their financial status, 147 or 48.03 per cent of the families could be considered as have-nots, 85 or 27.77 per cent of the families were poor earning as little as Rs15 to Rs25 per day, 36 or 11.76 per cent of the families were middle class earning Rs25 to Rs35 per day, and 38 or 12.51 per cent of the families were considered well-to-do earning more than Rs35 per day.

The NGO has recommended cheap lavatories in the villages of Buharo Khan, Golo Zaur, Pir Bux, Goth Gul Hassan, Adam Soomro, and Haji Ali Mohammed among others through the cooperation of philanthropists.