Their demand is simple, they are asking the Sindh government to install more Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in their villages spread over six tehsils of Mithi, Islamkot and Nagarparkar tehsils.
“Hundreds of villagers in the area are forced to make do with unclean water,” says Ali Akbar Kumbhar, a resident of Mohario village in Diplo tehsil.
Kumbhar laments the deplorable condition of his area, where clean drinking water is scarce and waterborne diseases are becoming increasingly common.
Over 1.3 million people live in Thar’s 2,500 villages. So far, only 400 RO plants have been installed and many of them do not function properly. The plants desalinate the otherwise blackish water, which villagers draw from deep wells.
The water is ridden with arsenic and fluoride, resulting in the spread of chronic diseases among residents. While children are the most susceptible to these diseases, malnourished women and elderly persons also get infected. Many end up losing their lives.
An outbreak of diseases
Dr Mohan Lal, a child specialist who works at Mithi Civil Hospital, expresses his concern at the link between water shortage and the death of children.“Persistent drought has resulted in numerous waterborne diseases,” he says. “And eventually leads to the death of infected children.”
For more detail Drinking arsenic in Thar
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