RAWALPINDI: Acute water shortage has been reported in many cantonment areas with the start of hot weather. Residents have complained about the indifferent attitude of the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Board (RCB) towards their misery. Among the areas facing water shortage are Kalma Chowk, Azizabad, Mughalabad, Ali Road and Adra in the jurisdiction of cantonment.

The cantonment area residents also criticised the RCB for supplying water for just 20 minutes a day. They lashed out at the civic body for not providing water to residents even when dams are full.

Suhail Shah, resident of Peshawar Road, said that water supply to the area had been disturbed for the past few years. He also complained of RCB’s indifference toward their complaints. He said that repeated complaints to RCB in this respect had so far “fallen on deaf ears”. He alleged that RCB officials remained away during office hours.

Nisar Ahmed from Chungi number 22, said that water shortage had crippled people’s life during Ramazan, adding that getting water from a private bowser cost Rs2500, which was unaffordable for him.

Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Lal Kurti, said that the CCB released water on alternative days and they are still conducting water rationing in the areas despite improvement in water reservoirs due to recent rains.

Abdur Rehman, another local, said the CCB had installed a new tube well in the area but no new water was provided yet. Farooq Ahmed, of Allahabad, accused RCB officials of being discourteous when people approached them for redressal of complaints.

The officials, however, said that the RCB was striving to improve the water situation in the area. They said the daily supply of 9 million gallons daily (MGDs) water from Khanpur Dam was too little to meet their needs. They said the RCB would initiate new projects during the current fiscal year (2023-24) to improve supply network in different localities.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023