HYDERABAD, Sept 8: The head of Sindh chief minister's inquiry committee on the issue of polluted water has directed the DCO to collect details of Wasa land said to be in unauthorised possession of people who are using them for farming.

He took notice of the fact that tenders had not yet been floated for Rs70 million water supply improvement schemes of Hyderabad and asked the DCO to ensure that there wasno more delay.

The official, Ashfaq Ahmed Memon, who is also the provincial secretary of irrigation department, was here on Wednesday to head the inquiry for fixing responsibility on government departments and officials for supply of highly contaminated water to the city people after release of the Manchhar Lake water into the River Indus in May.

The contaminated water led to deaths of 42 people and thousands of others suffered from water-borne diseases between May and July this year. He was scheduled to record statements of former director- general of the Hyderabad Development Authority Ali Ahmed Lund, former chief engineer of Sukkur Barrage Ghulam Nabi Mughal, former EDO of health Dr Agha Tariq and former managing director of Water and Sanitation Agency Kafeel Ahmed in the office of the chief engineer of highways.

The members of the inquiry team, the DCO of Mirpurkhas Dr Siddiq Memon, the DCO of Hyderabad Mohammad Hussain Syed, focal person of the committee and Hyderabad District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman were present.

Mr Memon was given a detailed briefing by the director-general of the HDA and Wasa, Tahir Ahmed, on water distribution system in the city and the pressing issues the organizations were facing.

Later he visited the water works of Wasa including treatment plant, source of water supply at Ghulam Mohammad Barrage, water lagoons in Karan Shoro village, Paretabad, Hussainabad and Hala Naka.

He asked the DCO as to why tenders had not been floated as yet and directed him to look into the integrity of those officials who were withholding the tenders. The district coordination officer said that he had directed the HDA head 15 days ago to float the tenders on desilting work of water ponds in Hala Naka, Paretabad and Latifabad-4 water works.

Mr Memon directed the Water and Sanitation Agency chief to provide him at least three reports of water in the water works and reservoirs on alternate days with chemical analysis and bacteriological tests, besides previous reports so that difference of quality of water could be noted.

He was given a briefing by deputy managing director of Wasa Fahim Junejo on working of treatment plant and closed clarifiers. The district nazim informed him that at least three more filter plants were required and two clarifiers should be set up in treatment plant with one water reservoir at Thandi Sarak to ensure provision of safe water to almost entire population of the city.

Mr Memon proposed that the Hyderabad district government should fix priorities of its schemes to be carried out through the utilization of Rs1 billion allocation made by the Sindh government.

He obtained details regarding provision of alum to water works of Hala Naka for mixing in water, and was informed that four bags of 50KG each of alum were provided for treatment plant.

But alum was being mixed manually instead of being mixed through the chamber, he was told. He was briefed about settlement ponds of 5MGD in the Latifabad water works by executive engineer Azizuddin, where he smelt foul stench.

He was told that one pond had been desilted and desilting of the other would follow. He also inquired from the deputy managing director of Wasa about disposal of sewerage of the city outside it.

The irrigation secretary was informed that around 110 acres of land, belonging to Water and Sanitation Agency, was in illegal possession of some people who were cultivating different crops on it.