DADU, July 14: The gastroenteritis cases are increasing in different parts of Johi, Sehwan and Khairpur Nathan Shah Talukas.
The doctors have confirmed 69 gastroenteritis patients were admitted to government hospitals and 200 to private hospitals of three Talukas on Monday.
After rainfall in the Dadu district, the gastroenteritis cases are at rise particularly in the drought-hit Kachho belt due to consumption of contaminated rain water.
Talking to this correspondent in Johi, social workers of the poverty-ridden area demanded that the government should send medical teams to Kachho and provide medicines to poor patients.
Wafa Birhamani, president, Kachho Bachayo Tehrik, said that required medicines were not available at government health facilities located in the area.
He said that affected villages included Patt Suleman, Wahi Pandhi, Tando Raheem, Thull, Sawaro, Bahlil Shah, Fazal Jamali, Qasim Rodhnani, Shafi Mohammad Lund, Moosa Jamali, Drigh Bala, Hairo Khan, Chhiddi, Bahawal Babar and Sher Mohammad Talpur.
The president, Kachho Educational Forum, Lahno Khan Jamali, said that the disease had also spread in the Sevo Jamali village and surrounding areas.
Dr Sikandar Naich, private practitioner in DCO Colony, Dadu, said that he was receiving 25 to 30 cases of the disease every day.
The medical superintendent, Taluka Hospital, Johi, Dr Mohammad Hashim Thaheem claimed that medical camps had been set up at RD-50 of the flood protective embankment and Nangar Daryo Goth.
FLOODED ROADS: The communication system to 200 villages of the Kachho, Kohistan and hilly areas in the western belt of Dadu District had not been restored till Monday.
The Nazim, Union Council Johi town, Mohammad Usman Jamali, said that if the government had constructed bridges at the Johi Chhinni crossing, Wahi Pandhi-Johi link road, Hamzo Khan-Johi link road and Mureed Babar-Johi link road, the communication and transportation systems would not have been cut off due to the rain.
No food or medicines had been provided as yet to the stranded and affected people of ten union councils of Johi Taluka.
The water was hitting the flood protective bund at RD-45 and 46 where Nain Gaj has changed its course and was badly hitting an area of 2000 feet between these RDs.
The irrigation staff was dumping stones, sand and other flood control material at these sensitive points.
The water level in the Manchhar Lake has risen to 107.99 feet. However, it is decreasing in the Nain Gaj.
This correspondent visited the sensitive points of the flood protective bund, located between the Kachho belt and the irrigation belt of Johi Taluka.
The Taluka Nazim, Johi, Datal Khan Jamali, said that a population of 207,383 in the Kachho area was facing difficulties as all the link roads had been inundated with rain water.
He complained that neither the district administration nor provincial and federal government officials had bothered to help the affected people.
He said that he had informed the district Nazim and the DCO to provide food, medicines and other relief goods to the inhabitants of Kachho but no relief had been provided as yet.
He said a large number of people were stranded and relief goods could only be provided through helicopters.
He said that four villages — Phul Babar, Manjhelo, Wacheen Jo Pat and Wali Muhammad Jo Gandho — had been affected the worst by the water of the Nain as many houses were washed away.
He appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to direct the Sindh government to provide medicines, food and other relief goods to the poor inhabitants of the Kachho area.
He warned that the situation would deteriorate if the catchment area of the Nain Gaj received more rain.
The superintendent engineer, irrigation, Nazeer Ahmed Mughal, told newsmen that the material required for flood control had been provided at all RDs of the Flood Protective Bund and Manchhar Bund.
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