RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) is planning to set up model rain harvesting wells for mosques and private houses to overcome water shortage.

“We will install two rain harvesting wells at the Wasa offices and a small mosque in Liaquat Bagh in a day or two to encourage the citizens to adopt the practice on their premises,” Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Arif Abbasi told Dawn.

He said RDA wanted to make it compulsory for private houses to install rain harvesting wells and in this regard its board would approve a policy next month.

He said in mosques, more water was required for ablution five times a day and cleanliness of the premises so “we wanted to educate the mosque administrations to follow it” to overcome the water shortage.

“We will utilise the used water of the mosque for plants in Liaquat Bagh. The water used by people in the mosque will be saved in a tank and then used for watering plants.”

He said these small steps would create awareness among people on how to save water. The citizens would also use their waste water for kitchen gardens and for plants.

He said due to extraction of water from the ground, the water level was receding fast.

“The previous PML-N government failed to launch any project to construct new dams for Rawalpindi and Islamabad and spent millions of rupees on installation of tubewells,” he said.

He said more than 421 tubewells in the city were extracting water from the ground. The government wants to construct dams but there are no funds, he added.

“We have no option but to go for the alternative to utilise rainwater for domestic use and in mosques. Rainwater is being wasted and if it is saved people can use it for washing and other purposes,” he said.

He said water would become a precious item in coming days and it was the duty of the residents and the administration to judiciously utilise water in the summer season.

“Though there is enough water in two dams for the requirement of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad till the monsoon, there is a need to save water and stop people from wasting it,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019