FAISALABAD: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) suspended its three officials, including an assistant director, while the deputy commissioner launched an inquiry after three labourers working on a sewerage line died due to toxic gases at Rashidabad, Ghulam Muhammadabad, on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as Ishfaq, two brothers, Shehzad and Ijaz. Their fourth companion, Mazhar, was stated to be in a stable condition in hospital. The families of the deceased workers had staged a protest demonstration by placing their bodies outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Eyewitnesses said that first Ishfaq landed in the manhole but did not return. This panicked Shehzad and Ijaz (real brothers), who also went into the manhole and both of them got trapped and fainted. Another of their companion, Mazhar, followed them and fell unconscious. All the four workers were shifted to the Allied Hospital where only Mazhar survived and other three breathed their last.

Wasa suspends three officials; DC launches probe

Wasa Managing Director Wasa Faqir Hussain suspended three officials including Assistant Director Muhammad Khalid, sewer supervisor Abdul Ghafoor and overseer Arslan Ahmed.

Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani formed a three-member committee comprising Additional Deputy Commissioner Aftab Ahmed, SSP (Operations) Muhammad Masoom and Assistant Commissioner Ahmer Sohail and asked it to submit report within 24 hours.

The Wasa deputy director, in his initial report forwarded to the district and Punjab governments, mentioned that the workers were making unauthorised, illegal connection without seeking permission of the department between two manholes of different sewer.

The report made it clear that sewerage was working properly and there were no complaints of overflowing of sewage or open manholes.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017