RAWALPINDI: With the start of the summer season, an acute shortage of water has hit different parts of the city and cantonment areas with the residents lining up outside the offices of the civic agencies to get their complaints registered.

In the city, Shamsabad, Dhoke Hasu, Dhoke Naju, Hazara Colony, Mohanpura and Ayra Mohallah are the worst affected. However, some areas of Satellite Town and Sadiqabad are also facing the shortage.

A senior official of Wasa told Dawn that the agency was increasing the timing of tubewells. He said the shortage had affected those areas which were supplied water from Khanpur Dam.

Supply from Khanpur Dam has reduced and many tubewells have gone dry, says official

He said Wasa was also working to connect these areas with nearby tubewells and the Rawal Dam supply line. In some areas water was provided through tankers.

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (CCB) Vice President Raja Irfan Imtiaz told Dawn that the civilian populated areas were facing an acute shortage of water due to two reasons: CCB is getting one million gallon daily (MGD) water from Khanpur Dam against its share of four MGD and the number of tubewells installed in the area is very less.

The affected areas included Kamalabad, Kalma Chowk, Dheri Hasanabad, Lalazar and adjoining areas.

“The underground water level is depleting fast due to which more than six tubewells have gone dry during the last a few months. The underground water level has gone down from 300 feet to 600 feet.”

He said the CCB had failed to cater to the complaints. The only solution to the issue is to increase the supply from the dam for the thickly-populated areas.

“All the elected representatives from 10 wards in the cantonment have decided to raise the issue in the upcoming board meeting,” he added.

The situation in Rawalpindi Cantonment (RCB) is even worse where a rationing of water has started. However, the water supply from tubewells is not managed properly.

Wajid Mehmood, a resident of Afshan Colony, said tubewell operators were not performing their duties and did not open the supply on time. “Water is supplied to selective areas only,” he alleged.

There are no tubewells in the Shalley Valley. “We rely on the water from Khanpur Dam which is supplied after two to three days for an hour only. The pressure is also low due to which underground tanks in our houses are never filled,” said Mohammad Asim.

He said the residents had no option but to purchase private tankers which increased the rates to Rs1,200 in the summer.

When contacted, RCB spokesman Qaisar Mehmood said there was a shortage of water due to less supply from Khanpur Dam. Moreover, four tubewells have gone dry in different areas.

He said the RCB was working to repair the tubewells in Tench Bhatta, Shalley Valley and adjoining areas. He said the shortage would end in the coming days if the supply from Khanpur Dam improved.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2018