RAWALPINDI: Blazing sun and high humidity made the weather extremely hot on Sunday in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, forcing people to stay indoors and worsening water shortage.

The Met Office recorded a maximum temperature of 41 degrees Celsius in the twin cities on Sunday. “No respite from the hot and dry weather is likely over the next two days,” weather experts said.

A Met Office official said the temperature would hover between 40 and 41 degrees Celsius and that such conditions were not unusual for this time of the year.

Temperatures have remained on the higher side over the last few days, making it difficult for residents of the twin cities to step outdoors, especially during the afternoon.

Mostly youngsters opted to visit Rawal, Khanpur and Simli dams, Chattar Park, as well as nearby water reservoirs for swimming to beat the heat. A rush at swimming pools in the twin cities was also witnessed.

The scorching heat caused dozens of people to be admitted to hospitals after fainting during the persistent heatwave.

With the onset of scorching heat, residents are also facing water shortages, as complaints of low pressure and drying water supply lines are being heard in many areas of Rawalpindi Cantonment and the city.

Residents of Chaklala, Faisal Colony, Shah Khalid Colony, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Morgah, Dhoke Chaudhrian, Arya Mohallah, Sadiqabad, Ratta, Misrial Road, Afshan Colony, Tench Bhatta, Gawalmandi and Naseerabad complained that they had been facing water scarcity for the last few days, and that repeated complaints to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) had not yielded any results.

Riasat Ali, a resident of Faisal Colony, said they had been suffering from a water shortage for the last two weeks. He said Wasa had failed to supply water to the area but continued to charge monthly water bills.

He said that despite repeated complaints to the civic body, the water supply to the area had not been restored. He added that residents were purchasing water from private tankers at a cost of Rs4,000.

Abdul Qadir, a resident of Tench Bhatta, said their daily chores remained incomplete due to the non-availability of water. He said they had to hire private water tankers to meet the shortage.

He said the cantonment authorities supplied water for only 15 minutes in such harsh weather. He added that if the situation had arisen at the beginning of the summer season, it was difficult to imagine what conditions would be like in mid-June.

RCB officials said water consumption increased during the summer, creating a gap between demand and supply. They said the cantonment received only nine million gallons of water daily from Khanpur Dam, which was insufficient to meet the growing demand.

They added that the RCB was making every effort to provide clean drinking water to all areas of the cantonment.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2026