0
KARACHI, Sept 19: While the government is yet to come out with the actual cause of the outbreak of waterborne diseases in Landhi Town, another six-month-old baby succumbed on Monday, taking the toll in the tragedy to 10, said sources in the health circle.
In the meantime, another 325 people, including women and children suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, were given medical treatment at different public and private hospitals and emergency health camps on Monday. The patients were residents of Awami Colony, Dawood Challi and Muslimabad (UC-2) and had reportedly got infected after consuming ‘potable’ water from the KWSB supply line.
On the other hand, the Sindh government on Monday put under suspension two KWSB officers for their alleged negligence leading to the tragedy. Shabbir Ahmed, Executive Engineer (Water Supply) and Islam Zai, Executive Engineer (Sewerage), have been suspended with immediate effect while a charge-sheet will be issued later, according to a handout.
Town Health Officer of Landhi S. M. Khalid said that the six-month-old baby, Asma, of Dawood Challi died due to dehydration. She had been brought to the Sindh Government Hospital, Korangi, in a very critical condition, he added. No other death was reported during the day while the number of cases being reported from Awami Colony, where contaminated water had started playing havoc with human lives on September 16, had also come down significantly, he claimed.
He, however, revealed that besides Awami Colony and Dawood Challi, about 100 patients were brought to different government health care centres from Muslimabad. Muslimabad thus became the third locality hit by water contamination.
Mr Khalid said that 20-25 patients from Muslimabad had been admitted to the Sindh Social Security Hospital where 50 other patients from Dawood Challi were being provided treatment for severe gastroenteritis. Yet another 80 patients from Awami Colony were being treated at the Korangi hospital, it was learnt.
Dr Shakil Siddiqui of the Korangi hospital said that analyzes reports of five patients from Awami Colony confirmed that they were affected by vibrio cholera bacteria. The bacterium takes at least six days for incubation in patients consuming highly unsafe water or some other organism. He cautioned that negligence on the part of a patient could cause a large scale transmission of the disease.
He advised people to boil water for 10 minutes before consuming it and not to use the utensils earlier contained contaminated water without properly washing them with safe water.
INQUIRY: In view of the gravity of situation arising out of the water contamination in several localities of Landhi, the provincial government has constituted an inquiry committee headed by Ghulam Arif Khan, Additional Secretary Local Government Commission, a spokesman for the Local Government Department said on Monday.
The committee will investigate the causes of casualties, as well as contamination of water, and fix responsibility in this respect. It will submit its report to the competent authority within seven days.
The caretaker TMO of Landhi on Monday wrote to the LG department that the situation in certain parts of the town, particularly Awami Colony, Dawood Challi, had assumed an alarming level. He also mentioned Muzaffarabad Colony, Muslimabad, Mansehra Colony, 1-C, 37-B, Burmi Colony and some other localities as vulnerable to the epidemic, and urged the secretary of the department to direct the KWSB to take preventive measures towards containing further spread of the epidemic.
In reply to a question, he dispelled the impression that the source of contamination was somewhere outside the town, and pointed out that the same water was being supplied to some industrial areas and DHA as well but there was no complaint of contamination from there.
EDO Health, Dr Khalid Shaikh said that he had received reports of 52 sample tests pertaining to the water supplied to Awami Colony, Dawood Challi and certain other localities of the town. “All the 52 samples appeared unfit for human consumption as the test reports revealed,” he declared.
He said that the DCO Karachi had been informed about the test reports and was requested to order suspension of water supply through tap to the entire Landhi area immediately.
