THATTA, May 25: The District and Sessions Judge of Thatta, on Tuesday issued individual notices to summon the government's district officials over their alleged involvement in creating an artificial water shortage and supplying contaminated water to the citizens here on Tuesday.

Those summoned through individual notices to appear in court on May 26 are the district nazim of Thatta, nine taluka nazims, chief engineer of Kotri Barrage, Executive Engineer Irrigation, EDO Health and all other concerned officials to record their statements.

Peoples Party Parliamentarians, MPA, Sassui Palijo petitioned the court on Saturday to take legal action against the elected and non-elected district authorities for allegedly creating an artificial water crises and subsequently supplying highly-polluted and hazardous water to the citizens of Thatta district.

When contacted about this, the Thatta district nazim, Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, said the district administration had taken timely steps and had already stopped the inflow of contaminated water from Manchhar Lake being received through Kotri upstream, to urban and rural population of the entire district.

He said, on the right bank of the Indus River, water was being supplied through Keenjhar Lake and upper Pinyari Canal to Sujawal sub-division, and added that the district government strategy yielded positive results and therefore no casualty was reported as a result of drinking contaminated water.

He said that fresh water would arrive within one week and the water crisis would soon be over. He said his political opponents were bent upon politicising any issue against the district government.

Meanwhile, 43 gastroenteritis patients were admitted in various government and private hospitals of the district due to consumption of contaminated water during the last three days.

Five of them have been admitted to Civil Hospital Makli, 10 to Bhambore Medical Complex, 5 to Mushtaq Memorial Hospital, 12 to Honey Clinic and others at various hospitals. In Sujawal people are using boiled water and underground water, but the sale of mineral water is on the increase while is being sold in the black market.