DADU, April 12: Fishermen of Manchhar Lake and Main Nara Valley (MNV) Drain have called upon the Sindh government to release 300-500 cusecs of sweet water into the Manchhar Lake from the Rice Canal and immediately stop the flow of brackish MNV drain water into the lake.
They said that polluted water of Manchhar was causing fatal diseases among fishermen and also affecting fishries resources.
Fishermen of Manchhar and MNV drain, led by Mohammad Malook Mallah, Khamiso Mallah and Ayub Mallah also staged a demonstration outside the DCO office here on Wednesday.
They told newsmen that Manchhar Lake was known as one of the biggest sweet water reservoirs of Asia but flow of 1500 to 2000 cusecs of saltish water from Punjab, Balochistan and upper Sindh was badly affecting it. WHO experts who have tested the water declared it unfit for human consumption and advised to stop flow of polluted water into the lake which may result into deaths.
They complained that owing to the polluted water, fishermen were exposed to different fatal diseases. He said people in the community were suffeing from many diseases, including gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, Hepatitis-B and C and skin diseases. Fisherman Khamiso Mallah said that due to brackish water, different species of fish were dying and the Lake was also losing its beauty. Ayub Mallah reminded that former secretary irrigation, Ashfaq Ahmed Memon had ordered to release 300 cusecs water from Rice Canal into Manchhar to protect this lake, but regretted that irrigation officials implemented his directive for few days and later abandoned it. only.
Later, the DCO of Dadu met a delegation of fishermen and assured them that he would talk to the irrigation officials.
