THATTA, Dec 12: Out of over 1.2 million population of the district, majority of rural inhabitants is deprived of potable water despite huge funds being spent by the Sindh government to facilitate this misery-stricken coastal belt.

A survey conducted by Dawn revealed that over 80 per cent of rural water supply schemes (RWSS) were lying either non -operational or jinxed as Village Development Associations – a public coordinating body comprising locals have become inactive.

The onus of responsibility lies on Public Health Engineering Department, as the leaders of public opinion, local people, elected representatives and others responded when asked to comment on the issue here on Friday.

PPP MPA Humera Alwani said far-flung rural population was having no option but to use unhygienic water being supplied from ponds and trenches causing many water–borne diseases.

Due to increase in hyper salinity, the water being fetched from wells and through pumps also contains different salts which was unfit for human consumption.

An official report submitted to the district government Thatta by the health department maintains that there were 20 per cent cases of hepatitis B and C in the district, which was higher in comparison to the rest of Sindh. The cause behind it was water -borne diseases.

An official list of PHED about rural water supply schemes revealed that out of 79 RWSS installed in villages of Thatta, Mirpur Sakro, Ghorabari, Sujawal, Jati, Keti Bandar, Shah Bandar and Mirpur Bathoro talukas, about 48 per cent were non-operational.

However, a visit by this correspondent negated government official’s claims. Even the water supply schemes at settlements of big population like Chilya, Chhatto Chand, Ongar, Bai Khan, Sheikh Ismail, were lying idle.

The locals said that after shifting responsibilities to PHED, the VDAs became virtually non-functional. The PHED Thatta has denied even payments of routine expenditures of maintenance and operation of water supply schemes VDAs, as a result of which schemes proved futile for the local population.

The situation, the locals said, has evolved opportunities for the outlaws who were operating and stealing machinery and pipes from the water supply schemes and the PHED was acting as a silent spectator.

Taluka Nazim Thatta Ada Mohammad Memon, Naib Taluka Nazim Khair Mohammad Brohi and a number of councillors visited Thatta press club and told journalists that previously the execution of new water supply schemes and their functioning and services were responsibilities of the taluka council but after shifting of responsibilities to PHED for the last two years the situation had deteriorated.

Condemning corruption, bribery, and favouritism in PHED, the resolution said, in violation of Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001, the XEN never intimated the council about the new schemes of RWSS and drainage in the taluka.

The taluka council also expressed its concern over shattering RWSS, misleading information about water supply schemes to the council and failure of PHED to provide required information and cooperation with the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources in the project of Safe Drinking water under Khushhal Pakistan Programme.

Under this project ministry of science and technology, ministry of environment and ministry of industries were assigned to provide safe drinking water to all in Pakistan.

The Dawn made queries from a number of political leaders, including Qadir Ranto, provincial head of Awami Tehrik, a number of village welfare association and social welfare organizations and all of them confirmed that about 90 per cent of rural water schemes were either defunct or vanishing gradually rendering irreparable losses to the provincial exchequer.

This correspondent contacted Sohail Memon XEN PHED Thatta, who responded by saying that he was not answerable to any media person.