DADU, May 18: A teenage girl and a woman died on Sunday due to a disease caused by contaminated water of Manchhar Lake. Also, about 1500 fishermen of four villages in the surrounding area of the lake have been infected with different water-borne diseases.

At least eight people have died during the last three months in four villages adjacent to Manchhar Lake due to water-borne ailments.

A teenage girl Hussaina Mallah 19, daughter of Nooh Mallah, resident of Pariray Village, died due to hepatitis B, and Ms Bibi Mallah 45, wife of Allah Rakhio, resident of Girkano village died due to gastroenteritis on Sunday.

Nooh Mallah father of Hasina Mallah said that he could not managae treatment of his daughter from private hospitals. He alleged that local health officials did not provide him medicines free of cost. He said that his daughter was suffering from hepatitis B, for the last four months and a doctor of Bund Manchhar lake government dispensary had examined her thrice but he did not give her medicines.

Allah Rakhio Mallah Mallah , told Dawn that his wife died due to dehydration after using Manchhar lake water. He said that deaths of women, child and men were common as a number of people were infected with water-borne diseases. He complained that when fishermen of Manchhar lake approached district health department to send medical teams, they were told that it was jurisdiction of EDO health Dadu and when health officials of Dadu were approached they were told that it was jurisdiction of Jamshoro district.

He said that over 100 children of this village have contracted water-born diseases- gastroenteritis, eye disease, skin disease, TB, hepatitis B, C and were deprived of medical cover.

According to notables of the areas, eight children and women died due to water-borne diseases during the last three months in three villages.

They included: Mushtaq ( four months), son of Jogi who died due to malaria 15 days back, Jabbar (one month), son of Suleman Mallah died due to gastroenteritis in Haji Malook Mallah village, Sajan (2 months), son of Suleman (died due to typhoid 2 months ago, Qayoom (2 years), son of Mehmood died due to hepatitis to months back, Bashir Ahmed son of Mehboob died due to measles three months back , Yasin (10 months), daughter of Ali Nawaz died 70 days back due to TB at village Bund Manchhar Lake. Besides Buxal 15, son of Galoo died three months back due to Hepatitis B , and Noori 25, wife of Karo Mallah, died due to malaria three months back at Girkano village.

The government dispensary at Bund Manchhar lake was lying closed, while no medical team from government and NGO could be seen in any part of the Lake.

Skin disease was common among the residents of Maula Bux Mallah located two km at a distance of Bubak village of taluka Sehwan.

An affected woman, Ms Hajani wife of Moloo Mallah, complained that she was facing skin disease for the last six years due to consumption of contaminated water from the lake. She said that her six family members were infected with skin disease but no medical team had ever visited her village.

Another skin diseases patient, Jumo Mallah resident of bund Manchhar lake, said over 1,500 people, including children and women were facing water-borne diseases in four villages of Bund Manchhar lake, Girkano, Maula Bux Mallah, Haji Malook Mallah and other villages .

He appealed to health department to take notice and establish free medical camps at Manchhar lake so that lives of fishermen could be protected.

A union council nazim said that there was only one medical dispensary in the lake area which, too faces shortage of medicines. He said that hepatitis B, C, malaria, skin, eye, TB, gastroenteritis and other water-borne diseases were common in every village of Manchhar lake. He said that if fresh water was not provided, many would die, as they were consuming contaminated water.