HYDERABAD, May 28: District and Sessions Judge Zaheeruddin Leghari on Friday reserved judgment on a human rights application that sought intervention of the court in regard to supply of contaminated water to the people of the district.

Kotri Barrage irrigation XEN Ejaz Sheikh submitted his statement before the court saying that on May 10 and 11, some 100 to 200 cusecs of contaminated water was discharged into the River Indus when regulators of the Aral Wah were opened for repairs.

He said that the Manchar Lake and the canal were located in the territorial and administrative jurisdiction of the Sukkur Barrage chief engineer, the Western Sindh Larkana circle superintending engineer and the southern Dadu division executive engineer.

Reiterating that the irrigation department had nothing to do with the supply of clean water, he said that it was the sole responsibility of the Water and Sanitation Agency as well as the Hyderabad Development Authority. On a previous hearing, the XEN had told the court that the lake water was released in the river for some 12 hours.

The court, noting the contradiction, has expressed its dissatisfaction over the statement filed in response to an application, seeking action against respondent officials for supplying contaminated water to the city. Earlier, the WASA managing director submitted his statement, clarifying his position. The matter has been adjourned till May 31.

FREE TREATMENT: The vice-chancellor, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, has announced that the university's diagnostic and research laboratory will offer free services of investigation to poor patients of Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin districts who suffer from gastroenteritis due to consumption of contaminated water, reports our Bureau. He said that a committee, consisting of senior faculty members, had been constituted to investigate water-borne diseases.