December 26, 2008	Friday	Zilhaj 27, 1429

HYDERABAD, Dec 25: Activists of the Association for Research and Development of Rural Areas (ARADA) held a demonstration outside the press club in protest against release of contaminated water of Manchhar Lake into the River Indus.

The secretary of the association, Adnan Moin and others said that the poisonous water had in the past killed 60 people and made thousands others hepatitis-A, B patients with stomach and kidney diseases.

They said that the government had failed to find out some permanent solution to this problem. Millions of people in Matiari, Hyderabad, Kotri, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin and Tando Mohammad Khan were suffering from various disease due to consumption of Manchhar Lake water.

Not only human beings, but even animals were dying after drinking from poisonous lake water, which was also affecting vegetables, they said and added that the situation had further aggravated due to non-release of water downstream Kotri.

They said that the government had initiated some projects for the disposal of poisonous lake water but the projects had been lying incomplete for years.

Due to indifferent attitude of the government they said that substandard mineral water was being openly sold in the market.

ARADA leaders demanded that the government find some permanent solution to the disposal of lake water.