HYDERABAD, Jan 4: People's Party Parliamentarians MNA Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur has said that due to indifferent attitude of the government, the Manchhar Lake has turned into a reservoir of poisonous water.

In a statement faxed to Dawn here on Tuesday, the MNA said that several people had died and thousands were suffering from disease due to consumption of highly contaminated water of the lake. He said that 20,000 fishermen had been forced to migrate from the lake as fish species had become extinct in the lake.

He said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had issued orders for rehabilitation of the lake for which a survey had also been conducted but no steps had been taken to rehabilitate it. He called upon the government to take measures on a war footing to rehabilitate the historic lake.

VC: Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh Mazharul Haq Siddiqui has exhorted the university students to play their due role to bring changes in the quality of life of people after acquiring higher education. He was speaking to new students of the university at the inaugural ceremony of academic session of 2005 on Tuesday.