HYDERABAD, April 28: The DCO has constituted a committee to immediately proceed to the Manchhar Lake and after release of its water into the Indus River, get water samples of the lake and the river tested from four different laboratories.

The three-member committee, headed by district health officer Bashir Ahmad Solangi, will also ascertain whether water of the Indus was fit for human consumption after the release of 1,500 cusecs of water from Manchhar into it.

Speaking at an urgently called meeting at his camp office here on Wednesday, DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed said if laboratory tests showed that the Indus water was not fit for human consumption, the irrigation department would be requested to decrease the quantity of water from the lake to ensure supply of safe water to people.

He asked the director general of the Hyderabad Development Authority and the managing director of the Water and Sanitation Agency to take precautionary measures for supplying safe water to people.

He also directed the health department to launch a campaign to create awareness among people to use boiled water.

The DCO, however, said the situation was satisfactory as compared to last year because enough fresh water was available in the Indus.

Kotri Barrage chief engineer Manzoor Ahmad explained why release of the Manchhar water into the Indus had become necessary. He said the water level in the lake was touching the dangerous point and it had, therefore, become necessary to reduce the water level by four feet before the start of monsoon.

APTUO: The All-Pakistan Trade Unions Organization at a meeting held here on Tuesday expressed concern over the attitude of mill owners who neither issue appointment letters to employees nor do they register names of employees with the Social Security Institution and the Employees Old-age Benefit Institution.

The meeting, presided over by Mehboob Ali Qureshi, alleged that the factory owners were violating laws but the labour department was taking no action against them.

It condemned non-regularization of 490 watchmen of the food department despite orders of their regularization by the competent authority. It regretted that the watchmen had not been paid their salaries for five months.

It also condemned introduction of the contract system in sugar mills and reduction of wages of welding workers by glass bangle factory owners.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Qureshi urged workers to launch a joint struggle for repeal of what he called black labour laws.

The meeting adopted a resolution to commemorate May Day in a befitting manner.