LARKANA, April 13: More people suffering from abdominal ailments caused by poisonous water were brought to the Chandka Medical College Hospital in Larkana and Taluka hospital in Warah from the ‘Kaacho’ area on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Meanwhile, a four-year old boy of the Ramzan Marfani village died on Wednesday, bringing the number of people killed after consuming poisonous water to six. Twenty-five new cases were brought to the taluka hospital in Warah, health officials said.

This correspondent visited the affected Gaji Bakhsh Marfani village about 100 kilometres from here and saw a number of patients from adjoining areas lying in huts getting intravenous fluids.

Dr Mubshar Ali Kolachi, a senior medical officer of Warah, said that being in the centre of the region the village was getting emergency cases. Five more people were brought to the village on Wednesday. Three of them were children aged between 3 and 8 years.

The severely dehydrated patients were put on ORS and electrolyte drips, the doctor said.

An old man, Haji Iqbal, 80, and Hakim Ali Marfani alleged that they were not receiving water tankers as promised by the district coordination officer of Shahdadkot for the last two days and were forced to drink the contaminated water that had afflicted the people.

“Even after receiving medical cover we face the risk of getting sick again if drinking water was not provided,” he said.

The cause of the outbreak of the abdominal disease was believed to be the ‘stagnant’ water of the open tanks built by Petronas Oil Company during the drilling process in the area, officials said. One of the tanks located near a farm in the ‘Kaacho’ area had still water full of fungus.

It was the only source of drinking water for people and animals, one villager said. “We have to drink the water from ‘Hamal’ lake, there being no other source, they said. “It is poisonous and brackish and you cannot even sip it, but we have to drink it,” commented Hassan Ali Marfani, an octogenarian villager.

Though the emergency in the area is over but the situation calls for a permanent arrangement to address the issue of clean water.

A team of doctors along with emergency medical aid and a vehicle from Taluka Hospital, Warah, has been stationed in the village of ‘Gaji Bakhsh Marfani’.