KARACHI, Aug 30: The Pakistan Medical Association on Tuesday expressed its deep concern over death of two children of Mannu Goth and Essa Nagri in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town after drinking contaminated water supplied in the locality.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the PMA stated that besides these deaths, over 80 people mostly children were suffering from severe diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Most of the children were in serious condition and admitted in the hospital.

Each of the four big hospitals, including Civil Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and National Institute of Child Health Diseases, is attending five to 10 children suffering from gastroenteritis.

The poor quality of water pipelines and sewerage line running parallel and adjacent to each other and its leakage are causing contamination of drinking water. Sewerage lines in most of the areas are blocked causing sewage overflow which results in contamination of water through poor quality water pipelines. The KWSB has been asked to maintain proper water supply and drainage system.

Expressing his deep concern over the recent outbreak of gastroenteritis, PMA General Secretary Dr S.M. Qaiser Sajjad appealed to the general public belonging to Karachi and other parts of the country to ensure that water consumed by them was properly boiled.

He said that surge in the disease incidence with children being the particular victims had enhanced the urgency to address the matter in the most efficient and meaningful manner.

The senior health care provider said that the issue of contaminated water supply and relevant diseases had emerged as most frequently reported instances in urban slums and rural areas of the province.

Referring to the available data, he said more than three million people were registered to be inflicted with water-borne diseases each year in the country and 1.2 million including 250,000 children were exposed to severest consequences due to polluted water.

The government should realize its responsibility towards the public, he said.

He also urged general public to ensure that drinking water was treated through available options in accordance with suitability and requirement of each family.

Meanwhile, MPA Farheena Ambreen visited Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad and inquired about the welfare of patients.

After outbreak of gastroenteritis in Essa Nagri and Munno Goth, around 125 patients of gastroenteritis have been treated at the hospital during the last three days.

According to a press release, most of the patients were given treatment and were discharged from the hospital. However, over 25 patients were still admitted in the hospital.—PPI/APP