MITHI, Feb 12: Activists of Awami Tehrik took out a procession and held a sit-in outside the municipal offices here on Sunday in protest against suspension of supply of canal water to different areas of Thar.

Carrying placards and banners, the protesters appealed to parliamentarians and district administration to take notice of suspension of water supply to Mithi, Islamkot and Diplo towns and scores of villages for one and a half month on the pretext of closure of Ran distributary canal under a prolonged water rotation programme.

They said more than 200,000 people and hundreds of thousands heads of cattle were consuming saline and contaminated water.

A scheme to supply canal water through pipeline three times a month was launched in 2002 for Mithi, Diplo and Islamkot.

But, they said, the municipal administration supplied water only once a month and that too for hardly an hour on one pretext or the other. Not only the people of towns but thousands of villagers living near these pipelines are getting water from water tanks.

People of these areas were compelled to fetch saline water from distant wells. Besides, thousands of cattle head had also been badly affected by the shortage of water, they said.

They urged elected representatives of Thar and the district administration to take measures to ensure regular supply of water.

The taluka municipal officer did not attend calls made by this correspondent.