RAWALPINDI: The elected members of the Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) on Thursday expressed resentment over the non-availability of water in cantonment areas due to the negligence of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB).

They urged the CCB president and station commander to play their role in resolving the issue.

They were addressing a CCB board meeting chaired by Station Commander Brigadier Ali Anjum Syed. CCB Vice President Malik Azhar Naeem and senior officials of the CCB and the military establishment were also present.

All elected members, including Raja Irfan Imtiaz, Raja Pervaiz Akhter, Chaudhry Changez Khan, Chaudhry Shahzad Khan, Chaudhry Nouman Shoukat, Muhammad Jamil, Ajmeer Khan, Chaudhry Khuram and Alexander William, attended the meeting.

It was the first meeting after Brigadier Ali Anjum Syed assumed charge as president of the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards. The elected members informed the station commander that 4.5 million gallons daily (MGD) of water had been allocated for the CCB from Khanpur Dam.

However, despite the dam being at full capacity, the RCB had not released water to Chaklala areas for the past two weeks.

They said local residents were being forced to buy water from private tankers, paying between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000 per tanker.

They stressed that water was a basic necessity for Chaklala residents and it was the civic body’s responsibility to ensure its supply.

Brigadier Ali Anjum Syed assured the members that he would take up the matter with the RCB and resolve it immediately so that residents could get water without any hurdle. He said the civic body would ensure the provision of all basic facilities to the public.

He also directed the CCB to maintain cleanliness, ensuring all areas remain neat and green.

He said cantonment areas should serve as a model for other localities in terms of cleanliness and beautification.

The station commander also approved an increase in the monthly budget of the dispensary at Dheri Hassanabad from Rs50,000 to Rs150,000, to ensure the availability of medicines in emergencies.

Talking to Dawn, elected member and former vice president Raja Irfan Imtiaz said there was an acute shortage of water in Chaklala cantonment areas and that more than 100 complaints were received daily. He said the CCB had informed President Brigadier Ali Anjum Syed about the RCB’s negligence in failing to release the water supply from Khanpur Dam, which the CCB could have stored in its underground and overhead tanks for distribution to residents.

He added that the water supplied from Khanpur Dam was the responsibility of the RCB, which was to provide CCB its share of 4.5 MGD.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025