July 04, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 29, 1429

DERA GHAZI KHAN, July 3: Mothers of ailing children from Dajil, 70 kilometres from DG Khan, have appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pay attention to health facilities in the arid zone where scores of the children are suffering from gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases.

The whole population in the area is bound to use contaminated water. The subsoil water here is brackish and unfit for human consumption.

Dajil is an ancient human settlement of arid zone in Rajanpur district. Even though the town had the status of a municipality in the colonial era, after Partition its status was downgraded to a town committee.

The area has been facing shortage of drinking water since long In the 70s, then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto granted a water supply scheme to the area.

Later in the 90s, when Farooq Leghari became president, he also provided a water supply scheme for the area. At present both schemes have failed to meet the needs of the people.

Every summer, waterborne diseases break out in the area due to excessive use of unhygienic water.

Talking to Dawn, women of the area said they did not know how to make nimkol at home to save their children from dysentery or gastro in the absence of medical facilities at public hospitals.

They appealed to the chief minister to take note of shortage of water and waterborne diseases.

The Dajil town committee chief officer refused to comment on the prevailing situation.

MPA Sher Ali Gurchani said he would speak to the chief minister about poor medical and water supply facilities.