RAWALPINDI, Aug 1: Water level in Rawal Lake has increased to 20,000 acre feet from the previous 15,000 acre feet due to torrential rains in the last few days, official sources told Dawn on Sunday.

This increase in Rawal Lake's water level has reduced the chances of water shortage in Wasa-run areas. Delay in monsoon rains had put the authorities concerned on red alert as water level of the dam was gradually decreasing. On the other hand, the rate of consumption of the commodity had almost doubled during the ongoing hot spell.

The sources said after the announcement of water rationing by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), Wasa's consumers were also expecting a similar move. However, recharging of the lake's storage capacity has ensured smooth supply of the commodity.

Unlike the RCB, Wasa did not mainly depend on water supply from Khanpur Dam where water level had almost touched dead level during the last couple of months, they said.

When contacted, Wasa's deputy director Nasir Ahmed said: "The 5,000 acre feet increase in Rawal Lake's storage means that we have water for 200 days so far, keeping in view our consumption ratio. We are expecting some more rains in the coming days."

When asked whether Wasa was planning to open Rawal Dam's spillways, Mr Ahmed said there was no question of doing so because water level was yet to touch 37,500 acre feet mark, the gross storage capacity of Rawal Lake.

Inflow of rain water has also increased the level of contamination in the lake as water has become muddy. However, Mr Ahmed said the agency was working round the clock to purify the water.

He said Wasa was using alum and chlorinating water to make it drinkable. He said on Monday a committee, comprising officials of Wasa and the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), was scheduled to check two recently repaired conductance mains connected to the lake.

Repairing work on the conductance main had started on the directives of Wasa managing director Brig (retired) Pervez Mehmood Khan. The work had been completed and the agency had also tested both the conductance mains after their repair.

One of the conductance mains, which had been established in 1955, will now be used for water supply to the Military Engineering Services (MES) from Rawal Lake, Mr Ahmed said.

He said Wasa sold 12 million gallons per day (MGD) water to the MES from its own share of 21MGD from the lake. The agency will supply nine MGD to its own consumers through the conductance main established in 2001 under the Asian Development Bank-funded Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project (UWSSP), he said. The deputy director said Wasa had made a plan to ensure consistency in water supply to all its areas.

In this regard the agency will restart water supply from its nine tubewells located near Sowan village. The tubewells had been closed for quite a long period. The supply lines of the tubewells would be connected to Shamsabad area in a few days, he said.

Similarly, the agency had decided to link its water supply line coming from Khanpur Dam with that of Rawal Lake. The civic body had taken the decision to ensure water supply to those localities of Shamsabad and Pirwadhai that were receiving water from Khanpur Dam.