ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will construct five small dams on the foothills of the Margalla hills to preserve rain water, Member Planning of the CDA, Maqbool Elahi told Dawn on Sunday.

The official said Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat had directed the authority to find ways to save rain water to overcome shortage in the capital.

He said the construction of five small dams would cost Rs7 million and it was expected that the authority would get an additional supply of 15 million gallons per day (MGD). He said there were six streams in the Margalla hills but there was no arrangement to preserve the rain water.

The official said a feasibility of the project was being prepared. In this connection financial and technical assistance of Federal Flood Commission (FFC) was being sought.

Meanwhile, a source told Dawn that Pakistan Commission on Water and Research (PCWR) would be approached to prepare a feasibility of a pilot project for harvesting rain water.

A source from the authority said the FFC help had been sought for funding and maintenance of the project, as the authority had limited resources to meet its expenses.

The source said a separate plan had been prepared to check disposal of garbage in nullahs and drains. In this connection the authority had been asked to impose fine on those disposing of garbage directly into nullahs and drains.

Similarly, digging of tube wells in residential areas should be stopped.

However, inverted wells besides each tube well would be dug to store water for the existing tube wells.

The plan suggested that big ponds of water should be established in the southern area of Kashmir Highway so that the underground water level could remain high.

The source said the CDA will shortly make some amendments in its laws making it compulsory for the citizens to construct water tanks on the rooftops of the new and the old buildings to store rain water that could be used for gardening and other purposes.

He said the demand of water in Islamabad was increasing but on the other side water resources were squeezing rapidly. He said the present demand of water in the city was 90 million gallon per day (MGD) and it was likely to increase by 133 MGD by the year 2015. He said the daily supply of water in Islamabad was 50 to 55 MGD with shortfall of 37 MGD approximately and the shortfall was likely to go up by 78 MGD in future.