RAWALPINDI:The district administration will regularise 59 illegal water hydrants in the garrison city to ensure that clean water is provided to citizens at reasonable rates where tap water is not present.

On the directives of Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi bench) Judge Sohail Nasir, the district administration formed a nine-member committee led by Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq to collect data about illegal water hydrants and make it reasonable for the citizens.

The meeting was held with Mr Farooq in the chair. It was attended by Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Mohammad Tanveer and other members. The meeting was informed that the district administration has completed the survey of illegal hydrants in the area under its administrative control and found more than 89 hydrants in the district while 59 came under the area of Wasa.

The citizens of Rawalpindi are facing a shortage of 17 million gallons daily which is likely to be 35 MGD due to 318 private housing societies. Despite the presence of Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam and around 520 tubewells, the difference in supply and demand of water in Rawalpindi city has swelled and people have to buy water from private tankers. However, private water hydrants did not get any permission from any authority to extract water from underground sources.

Talking to Dawn, Wasa Managing Director Mohammad Tanveer said that Wasa completed a survey of the area and found 59 illegal water hydrations in the city areas.

He said that the district administration formed committee to fix the rates of water tanker charges. He said that Wasa would play the role of monitor and regulator in this regard.

He said that the agency would ensure that clean drinking water is provided to citizens through these water hydrants, adding that the team will take samples of water supplied to the consumer and will dispatch it to the laboratory for examination. “After the report of the laboratory examination, a certificate will be issued that the water is good and may be supplied to people,” he said.

He said that under the law, the supply of dirty water is banned in the province. He said that waterhydrantswould be installed with the permission of Wasa.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2022