KARACHI, May 26: Hyderabad is supplied 56 million gallons of water every day. Of this amount, only 40 million gallons - or 71.4 per cent - is fully treated.

In other words, about 29 per cent of the water that is supplied to Hyderabad and adjoining areas is not treated according to internationally-recognized standards. This body of water is treated only nominally, says a report prepared by the authorities, a copy of which has been obtained by Dawn.

Another document obtained by this reporter - a letter sent by the director-general of the Hyderabad Development Authority to the Sindh irrigation and power secretary, says about 40 per cent of the city's population consumes raw water, leaving it vulnerable to a host of water-borne diseases.

"About 40 per cent of the population of Hyderabad city and its suburban areas are consumers of raw water which is directly supplied to them by HDA without any treatment," says the letter dated May 17 and signed by Ali Ahmed Lund.

Elsewhere, the letter reads: "The management of the Lakhra coal power generating plant and the Jamshoro power plant have issued notification that the water is not even suitable for industrial purposes and as such it is very harmful for human consumption, therefore they have stopped their plant."

The document concludes by saying that fresh water should be discharged from Sukkur to reduce the adverse effects of the polluted water. "In order to avoid any more casualties and further worsen conditions, the concentration of such water must be diluted up to the required level which should be suitable for human consumption, and for the purpose more water be discharged from the Sukkur Barrage...."

Provincial Health Minister Naeem Ishtiaq says water in the Indus is so polluted that some power generating units getting water from it had to be closed down. "This was done to protect them from damage," he remarked.

The health minister and health secretary admit that initially there was a shortage of medicines in the government hospitals of Hyderabad. Only a limited stock of medicines was available because the financial year was drawing to a close, they claimed.

However, the shortage was overcome through purchase of medicines on credit and donations in kind by various non- governmental organizations. They praised the efforts of donor agencies such as Unicef, which had donated medicines on an emergency basis.

Health Secretary Ashique Memon said pre-emergency measures had already been taken in government-run healthcare centres in Badin and Thatta. "Not only are we trying to prevent deaths in these two cities owing to water-borne diseases but also from rain-related complications."

He added that at least three cases had been reported from Thatta by Monday evening. No case had been reported from Badin yet. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the chief secretary, Dr Mutawakkil Kazi, told Dawnthat a report was being prepared about the reasons behind the outbreak in Hyderabad. "This report is going to be made public in three or four days."