RAWALPINDI: Water meters will be installed in the garrison city by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) by the end of the fiscal year 2015-16 to prevent wastage.

A senior Wasa official told Dawn that the project will begin after a consumer survey in the garrison city which will be carried out after Eidul Fitr.

The official said the water meters would allow Wasa to detect water theft and improve supply in the city.

If the government fails to provide a grant for the installation of meters, he said, the cost would have to be added to the monthly bills of the consumers. “The Potohar region is very rugged and hilly so most of the city’s water is pumped using electricity which adds to the delivery costs,” he said.

It is expected that after the installation of water meters, the residents will use 10 to 30 per cent less water than they do now.

He said water meters would be installed in two phases and in the first phase meters will be installed at commercial units such as plazas, hotels, restaurants and service stations, followed by domestic units in the next phase.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) supplies about 38 million gallons of water daily (MGD) to 10.5 million people in its precincts against the demand for over 44 MGD with a shortage of six MGD.

Wasa gets 15 MGD water from Rawal Dam, 6 MGD from Khanpur Dam and 22 MGD from tubewells.

According to Wasa figures, the total number of bill paying consumers is 95,718 which include 78,551 domestic consumers and the rest are commercial. Only a little above 50 per cent consumers pay their bills on a regular basis.

However, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said the agency managed to collect Rs260 million in fiscal year 2014-15 against a target of Rs240 million and the situation would be improved overtime.

He said the agency faces problems in making chronic defaulters pay and is taking a new approach to recovering this amount. Instead of disconnecting their water connections, Wasa has decided to waive off their surcharge so that there is incentive for these consumers.

Mr Mehmood also expressed hope that installation of water meters would improve the billing system and eliminate water theft.

Excess billing would be prevented and commercial and domestic users would pay different rates, he said. The Wasa Managing Director said that was dire need to create awareness among people regarding judicious use of water and the water meters will benefit those consumers who do not waste water.

Published in Dawn June 27th, 2015

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