RAWALPINDI: The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) on Wednesday cut off supply to the Sangjani Filtration Plant of Khanpur Dam, Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment boards for not paying electricity bills amounting to Rs120 million.

Due to this, water supply to the cantonment and other areas of the city was halted as the areas between Dhoke Hassu and Double Road is supplied from Sangjani plants and 60pc of water in both the cantonment areas is also supplied from the same source.

According to an Iesco spokesperson, power supply was disconnected because the Capital Development Authority (CDA) did not pay the dues.

According to Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) Vice President Raja Irfan, Iesco also disconnected power supply to four tube wells in Rahimabad and Chaklala Scheme III even though CCB had paid the bills till June 2016.

He said this will further exacerbate the water shortage usually witnessed in the summers.

“The supply of water from the Khanpur Dam had already decreased and now that power supply to the tube well has been cut off, it will be hard for CCB to manage water supply,” he said.

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) spokesperson Qaiser Mehmood said power supply to two tube wells in RA Bazaar and Valley Road had been cut off.

“We paid Rs20 million in bills and Iesco still cut off supply,” he said.

Mr Mehmood added that there was a dispute over electricity bills worth Rs120 million and that RCB had contacted Iesco though a reconciliation on the matter was yet to be reached.

Residents will face water supply problems now, he said as the areas between Peshawar Road and Chaklala are supplied water via the Sangjani Filtration Plant.

When asked, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said Wasa had already paid the CDA its share of the bills and that it was the civic agency’s responsibility to pay the amounts it collects from Wasa and RCB to Iesco on time.

“Locals will suffer trhough a water shortage through no fault of their own. We provide water to eight union councils with supply from the Khanpur Dam. People will be criticising Wasa for this,” he said.

Instead of disconnecting electricity, Iesco should collect the unpaid amount from CDA offices, he added.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2016