HYDERABAD, Dec 1: Lack of resources and coordination among different departments has been identified as the reasons behind the crisis in May-July in the city which claimed lives of 42 people, mostly women and children.

No individual or department has been specifically singled out for the failure in checking the spread of diseases due to supply of contaminated water to people. An official, associated with the inquiry committee formed by the Sindh chief minister, told this correspondent on Wednesday that Ashfaq Memon, who led the panel, was said to have submitted the committee report to the chief secretary in Karachi on Wednesday.

The source said it had been mentioned in the report that the Hyderabad Development Authority and the Water and Sanitation Agency had remained without resources despite sending representations to the Sindh government, seeking funds for improvement of the water supply system. He added that generally all departments concerned had been held responsible.

The committee has proposed that an effective check over the departments can only be ensured if the district nazim and the DCO are empowered to such an extent that all departments, either provincial or the district government's, responded to their calls in crisis situations.

The DCO should be given magisterial powers to deal with such crisis. The departments should be asked to cooperate with the DCO and the district nazim in bringing the situation under control.

It has also proposed that Wasa should be devolved at the district level. The official said the main reason for not blaming any particular officer for the water contamination was that different factors had contributed to the crisis.

He claimed that committee members were of the view that water-borne diseases were always reported but this time the polluted water had aggravated the situation. More details of the report could not be known.

The chairman of the committee could not be contacted despite efforts. A bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad, had the given inquiry committee a last chance to submit its report by Dec 2. The court had passed the order while hearing two identical petitions and under suo motu proceedings in the matter.-Correspondent