RAWALPINDI: Cantonment authorities on Monday assured the elected members of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) would be approached to increase the cantonment areas’ share of water from Khanpur Dam.

MNA Malik Abrar, vice presidents of the two cantonment boards, Malik Munir and Raja Irfan Imtiaz, held a meeting with Station Commander Brigadier Shahzad Tanveer and demanded that water shortage in the cantonment areas should be resolved.

They said as the groundwater level was depleting very fast it was difficult to install more tubewells in the cantonment areas.

Officials of both the cantonments informed the station commander that there were two problems behind the water shortage.

Station commander convenes meeting to discuss ways to improve supply from Khanpur Dam

They said two water pumping machines had been out of order for many months and funds were required to repair or replace them. Secondly, the officials said, water was being stolen from the 19-kilometre canal from Khanpur Dam to the Sangjani filtration plant.

The share of the city from Khanpur Dam is six million gallon daily (MGD), cantonment areas 11 MGD and the CDA is getting 17 MGD.

The filtration plant at Sangjani is managed by the CDA.

Mr Irfan Imtiaz told Dawn that less water was being supplied to the cantonment areas. “The city area is getting three MGD, cantonment area seven MGD and Islamabad 10 MGD. This is because water pumping machines worth millions of rupees are out of order,” he said.

He said the officials also informed the meeting that the canal was leaking at several points. Besides, service stations established along the canal were also stealing water.

“We demanded that action should be taken against those involved in the theft of water, and the water pumping machines should be replaced.”

He said the elected members had no powers and could only take up public issues with the authorities concerned.

“If the problem of water shortage does not end, the residents would take to the streets and we would not be able to stop them,” he said.

During the meeting, the station commander also directed the officials concerned to arrange a meeting of the CDA, Wasa and cantonment boards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala to discuss how to improve the supply of water from the dam.

The meeting would be held in Rawalpindi next week where senior officials from the civic bodies would present their suggestions.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2017