HYDERABAD, May 2: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad bench, was moved on Monday to restrain the irrigation department from releasing poisonous and contaminated water of the Manchhar Lake into the River Indus. The petitioner, advocate Mohammad Ishaq Qureshi, prayed the court to stop respondents from providing contaminated water to the people of Hyderabad.

An application under section 151 of the Civil Procedure Code was filed in connection with a petition by the lawyer who had appeared in person in the matter last year when water crisis hit the city after the Manchhar water was released into the River Indus, leading to deaths of at least 42 people, mostly children.

The petitioner quoted a press release issued by the Kotri Barrage chief engineer regarding expected release of water of the lake into the Indus. He said it was evident from the press release that the respondents were again repeating what he called the illegal and unlawful act of releasing contaminated water into the river which would cause casualties in the city.

The application will be taken up on May 4.

The petitioner is supposed to file his rejoinder on the inquiry report prepared under orders of the Sindh chief minister by a four-member committee, headed by irrigation secretary Ashfaq Memon.

WARRANTS: The first additional district judge here on Monday issued non-bailable warrants against former director-general of the Hyderabad Development Authority, Ali Ahmed Lund, for his non-appearance in the last year’s water contamination case.

Charges have not been framed in the matter so far.

Other co-accused attended the court.

They include former EDO health Dr Agha Tariq, former Water and Sanitation Agency MD Kafeel Ahmed, former chief engineer of the Kotri Barrage, Agha Ali Hassan Pathan, former resident engineer of the Jamshoro Thermal power house, Abu Adil, assistant executive engineer of Wasa Saleemuddin and former chief engineer Sukkur Barrage, G.N. Mughal.