At least eight infants reportedly died of malnutrition and water-borne diseases in the desert region of Mithi during the past two days, parents of the deceased children told Dawn.

The infants died at Mithi's Civil Hospital where they were brought from remote villages for treatment. With these deaths, the toll rose to 235 infant casualties during the first five months of this year.

The health officials told Dawn that 62 children below five years of age were admitted to the hospital during the past two days and many of them were in very critical condition.

The parents of the deceased and ailing children lamented that they neither had healthcare facilities nor safe drinking water in their villages. People are mostly suffering from water-borne diseases as they have no other option but to drink contaminated water from wells, they said.

The parents also complained against the alleged indifferent attitude of doctors and paramedics when they insist for proper treatment of their children.

Also read: Mithi: Where a Hindu fasts and a Muslim does not slaughter cows

Despite repeated attempts, neither the District Health Officer (DHO) nor other concerned officials could be reached for comment on the unabated deaths of infants.

Moreover, the health and nutrition experts working in Thar urged the government to provide safe drinking water and ensure basic healthcare facilities in every village to prevent such deaths.

The Chief Justice in a recent hearing on the deaths of the children had rejected the detailed report submitted to him by the Sindh health secretary.

Here it is pertinent to note that after the suo motu notice taken by the chief justice in April last year, the health officials instead of ensuring the provision of the best possible healthcare facilities, stopped sharing data with the local media persons.