RAWALPINDI: Even with enough water in the Khanpur Dam, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and the Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) are conducting water rationing in the Cantt areas.

The water rationing has forced residents to get water via private tankers, which have increased their rates during the summers.

RCB and CCB officials claim not much water comes from Khanpur Dam due to which they release water every two or three days and that rain in the coming few days will raise the water level which in turn will improve supply.

However, the dam administration says there is enough water in the dam.

“There is enough water for drinking purposes for Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” a senior official at the Sangjani Filtration Plant at Khanpur Dam told Dawn.

He said though the recent rains had not had a great impact on the dam, there was still enough water for meeting requirements for two months.

A resident of Lalkurti, Raja Aslam said his locality was faced with water shortage and that cantonment officials do not pay heed to the issue.

“We are not receiving water regularly and registered a complaint but the problem has not been solved yet,” he said, adding that the situation is bound to worsen if water was not available in the monsoon.

A resident of Misrial Road, Mohammad Ashraf said RCB was not taking the matter of water shortage seriously.

He said when contacted, officials say water supply will be started from tubewells soon.

Another local, Masood Ahmed said residents had to bring water from neighbouring colonies and that RCB officials had been informed but they had not taken any action.

A resident of Afshan Colony, Mushtaq Malik said a tanker costs Rs2,500 per trip which is not affordable for low-income families, who have to get water themselves, on foot, from other areas.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2018