HYDERABAD, Dec 28: Members of an inquiry committee formed by the chief minister to determine causes of a breach in 100 million gallon lagoon of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) collected samples of soil on Sunday from the lagoon’s bed and the place where the breach had taken place.

“The samples have been collected to determine classification of the soil that has been used in the establishment of the third lagoon by the Wasa,” said an official.

The committee would receive findings of the soil test by Monday, which had been carried out at two different laboratories, one of them located in Karachi.

The committee dug the lagoon at different spots at upstream and downstream to see whether the use of soil in building the reservoir had been approved. “The committee members need to check whether the lagoon’s sloped embankment was symmetrical from inside and outside,” said a source.

The committee has been tasked with probing the causes leading to the breach, which flooded Sajan Detho, Khan Mohammad Maher, Wahid Palari and Misri Shaikh village, fixing responsibility and assessing losses to public and private properties and rehabilitation.

The committee has recorded statements of Wasa’s officials including Saleemuddin, Zeeshan Malik, Bashir and two residents of the area and would record more statements.

It was not confirmed whether the committee would examine consultant of the district government, who was assigned the reservoir’s work in 2004.

The government had released funds for the reservoir when the city was hit by unprecedented water crisis in May 2004, claiming 42 lives after consumption of poisonous water released from Manchhar Lake into the River Indus.

Repair work on the third lagoon has been stopped under directives of the inquiry committee officials until inquiry has been completed.

The lagoon was built in 2005 when it was filled with water for the first time. “Unfortunately, it developed a leak the first time,” said an official, adding that last year it was again filled and sustained the pressure.

“While there could be multiple reasons for the breach but I have noted that villagers have dug up five to six feet trench on the lagoon’s toe to get seeping water for the agricultural land,” Shafi Mohammad Lakho, the then district government’s consultant, who had worked on the northern and southern lagoons’ de-silting, had said after inspecting the site.

He said that the trench was now filled with water but traces of digging’s traces were still there. The same lagoon had earlier worked thrice successfully and withstood water pressure but there could be a lapse from monitoring point of view.