CHITRAL, Feb 24: Eight people have died of water-borne diseases in Morder village of upper Chitral during the past week, says Ameer Khan Jalali, union nazim of Kosht. Talking to Dawn here on Friday, he said the victims first contracted diarrhoea and dysentery followed by vomiting and in most cases they died in 24 hours.

He identified some of the dead as Gul Wali, Sharif Khan, Gulsambar, Sunnat Hazrat Khan and two women — the mother and wife of one Ghaffar Ali

The nazim said the village was supplied water from a reservoir constructed on a stream in the area. The water supply scheme was completed in 1981 and the quality of the pipes used was inferior, he added.

Most of the pipes were corroded with rust, causing contamination in water, he pointed out.

The nazim said that in many localities gutter water was flushed away into the stream, adding that other impurities also got mixed with water being stored in the reservoir.

Tree plantation: District Nazim Maghfirat Shah and MPA Maulana Abdur Rehman launched the spring tree plantation campaign by planting saplings in the forest department rest house here on Friday.

Divisional forest officer Hashim Ali Khan and range-officer Mohammad Sarwar on this occasion distributed saplings free of cost among the people.—Correspondent