ISLAMABAD, June 6: Water level in three dams of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is declining and it is feared that the water supply through these dams will have to be stopped by the end of July, if adequate rains do not occur.

The three dams including Rawal Dam, Simly Dam and Khanpur Dam are the main sources of water supply to residents of the twin cities.

Normal water level of the Simly Dam is stated to be 2,305 feet but the reading recorded on Thursday was 2,251 feet.

The dead level of Khanpur Dam is 1,910 feet while the reservoir’s reading recorded on Thursday was 1,908.

Similarly, water in Rawal Dam has also declined to a dangerous level.

A source said the water level in Khanpur Dam was on the decline due to less rains and pilferage of water. Islamabad city is receiving only three million gallon per day (MGD) from the dam against the required supply of 17 MGD, he said.

He added that it was feared that the water supply from the Khanpur Dam would have to be suspended within a couple of weeks.

Under this project, almost 51 MGD of water had to be supplied everyday to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Out of this figure, 17 MGD was to be supplied to Islamabad while 34 MGD to Rawalpindi city.

Similarly, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has reduced the water supply from Simly Dam by 50 per cent due to lack of rains.

A CDA official said the water supply had been rationalised due to a rapid decline in water level in the reservoir.

As a result of sudden decline in water level in the dam, residents of Islamabad have been facing acute shortage of water for over a couple of weeks.

The CDA has reduced 50 per cent of the water supply to the residents and now some 21 MGD is being supplied from the Simly Dam against the normal supply of 42 MGD.

The authority is supplying 27 MGD water from tubewells, five MGD from Khanpur Dam, eight MGD from water supply augmentation schemes and two MGD from other sources.

“The residents will have to share the responsibility and should avoid wastage of water and reduce its consumption so that the present reservoirs could be utilized till the next monsoon, a senior official of the CDA said.

Referring to the water shortage problem in Japan, he said Japanese people reduced water consumption by two mugs per capita per day.