DADU, Dec 23: Three children died of gastroenteritis in the Wali Mohammad Rind village on Thursday and 60 other are suffering from the disease in five adjoining villages in Mehar Taluka .

The disease is reported to have spread to six villages of taluka owing to use of contaminated water of the Hamal Lake in the area of Faridabad. Three children died in the Wali Mohammad Rind village. They were identified as Parveen, 5, daughter of Mohammad Rind; Reshman, 3, daughter of Rasheed Rind; and Abu Bakar, 2, son of Shahabuddin Rind.

Four other children of the same village, Ayaz, Niaz, Hussain and Sardar Rind, are in serious condition in their houses while 60 more children of surrounding villages, including Bhambha Dero, Ali Bux Teevano, Mathin Aliwal and Chutto Mirani, were suffering from the gastroenteritis and most of them were admitted to hospitals of Mehar taluka.

Meanwhile, the people of Wali Mohammad Rind village, Bhambha Dero, Ali Bux Teevano, Mathin Aliwal villages and others staged a demonstration outside the Mehar Press Club on Thursday to protest against officials of the health department for not sending any team of doctors to the affected villages. They were led by Tariq Rind, Mushtaq Rind, Hakim and Afzal Rind.

Speaking on the occasion, they said that the water supply scheme of the area was not functioning due to disconnection of electricity since last seven days so the residents of affected villages were using contaminated water of the Hamal Lake.

They said that due to use of contaminated water of the lake, gastroenteritis has spread in these villages. They said that three children had died in the Wali Mohammad Rind village and 64 others were infected. They said that they had complained to health officials to send team of doctors to control the outbreak of the disease, but no body had ever visited the affected villages.

They feared that if urgent attention was not paid, more children can die of the disease. They appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim to direct the provincial health adviser and the secretary health for taking immediate measures to combat the outbreak of gastroenteritis in the affected villages of Mehar taluka. They demanded of the government to hold an inquiry into the matter and suspend the EDO of health immediately.