RAWALPINDI: There is enough water in Rawal and Khanpur dams but the residents of the garrison city and cantonment areas are still suffering from water shortage.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) cited electricity loadshedding as the reason for water shortage as tubewells do not work without electricity.

However, residents refused to accept this explanation and blamed the shortage on mismanagement of water distribution.

PTI MPA Arif Abbasi of PP-13 constituency told Dawn that people in areas where the PTI MPAs were elected are being victimised by the Punjab government.

He said overhead water tanks were constructed in Jhanda Chichi and Dhoke Elahi Bux to supply water to residential areas but because of substandard construction, the tanks remained empty.

The MPA said the residents of Arya Mohallah, Dhoke Khabba, Committee Chowk, Kohati Bazaar, Khanna Road and adjoining areas were facing acute water shortage but the civic body is not paying heed to requests by MPAs and residents.

Mohammad Bashir, a resident of Arya Mohallah, said right next to the Wasa offices, residents are facing water shortage.

He said people regularly bring water from the adjoining areas on College Road.

He said people of the area pay their bills to Wasa for water and sanitation but are not getting anything in return.

Karim Raja, a resident of Dhoke Khabba, said that water was only supplied for 15 to 25 minutes a day.

“The local MPA and MNA are busy doing politics rather than raising their voices in provincial and national assemblies,” he said.

A senior Wasa official told Dawn that water was supplied to many localities from tubewells as water from Rawal Dam was supplied to the cantonment areas for which the agency received annual fee.

When contacted, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said some areas were facing shortage because of electricity loadshedding. However, he said the civic agency was providing water tankers to the affected localities so people could fill buckets for immediate use.

Meanwhile, in the cantonment, residents of Afshan Colony, Misrial Road, Dhoke Hafiz and Naseerabad were facing water shortage. Water from Khanpur Dam was supplied in some areas while other areas were facing acute water shortage.

When contacted, RCB elected member Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said once elected members take oath and assume office, things would improve in cantonment areas.

“The system in the cantonment areas will be changed and a better supply system would be introduced in all areas. Public representatives are working towards solving this problem on priority,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2015

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