DADU, Feb 26: A World Health Organization team has declared water of the Manchhar Lake unfit for drinking as well as agriculture purposes and said use of the contaminated water is causing eye, gastroenteritis, skin and hepatitis-B diseases among area fishermen.

This was disclosed by the manager of the WHO's Basic Development Needs project, Dr Khadim Hussain Lakhair, while briefing journalists at a free eye operation camp in the Bubak village on Saturday.

The two-day eye operation camp was organized under the WHO project. Health EDO Dr Dhani Bux Thebo inaugurated the camp. Eye specialists, including Dr Zarksis of the Anklesaria Hospital, Karachi, Dr Afzal Bughio of the Civil Aviation Authority Hospital, Karachi, Dr Mohammad Ali Jafri of the Spencer Eye Hospital, Karachi, Dr Salahuddin Lakhair and Dr Amjad Sehto, carried out operations of patients.

Dr Lakhair said 450 eye patients had reported at the medical camp at the Bubak Government Boys High School. He said 140 patients would be operated upon and the other patients of eye diseases and would be provided with medicines.

He said Bund Manchhar Girkano, Shaikh Wahan, Zero Point, Shah Hassan, Chhandan, Pir Mashaikh, Pir Soomar, Shaikh Dhaman, Dhoro Jo Tar, Tehni, Kadhwah, Ghaib Pir, Haji Abdul Rehman Mallah, Naro and Aroori villages were the worst affected areas where eye and hepatitis-B diseases were spreading due to use of contaminated water of the lake.

He said WHO officials had collected samples of water from different parts of Manchhar and had sent their report to the government after laboratory tests.

Quoting the report, he said Manchhar water had turned more poisonous as compared to the previous year and it was not fit for human consumption and agriculture.

He proposed establishment of a water purification plant on emergency basis at the Manchhar Lake to control the spread of diseases in surrounding areas.

The health EDO said sufficient quantity of medicines had been provided to health centres in Bund Manchhar Lake, Jhangara, Bajara and Bubak villages. He admitted that the number of patients was increasing due to use of contaminated water of the lake. He informed the participants that 3,000 cases of eye, skin, gastro, hepatitis-B, TB and other water-borne diseases had been reported in one month at these centres.

Eye specialist Dr Afzal Bughio said use of contaminated water and malnutrition had affected eyesight of inhabitants of Manchhar area.

Manchhar Bachayo Ittehad president Maula Bux Mallah said three patients, Hajra Mallah, 35, Uboori Mallah, 50, and a minor girl, Samina Mallah, had died of hepatitis-B in the Maula Bux Mallah village during the last three days.

Makhdoom Zamir Hussain, a resident of Bubak, said a maternity home had been established by former Chief Minister Syed Abdullah Shah in Bubak in 1995 but no doctor had been posted at the health facility.

POLIO CAMPAIGN: The EDO, revenue, Ghulam Akbar Leghari, has said officials of revenue, police and education departments will cooperate with the health department in its three-day anti-polio campaign to be launched from March 1 in the district.

Presiding over a meeting to review arrangements for the polio campaign here on Saturday, he warned that action would be taken against negligent officials.

Briefing the meeting, the EDO, health, Dr Dhani Bux Thebo, said 130 centres had been established in the district and 128 mobile teams would also administer polio drops to children under five years of age.

World Health Organization consultant Dr Adebola G. Lambo said the campaign would also over remote areas of the district.

Another WHO consultant, Dr Nisar Ahmad Solangi, also spoke on the occasion.