ISLAMABAD, May 24: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has asked the citizens to conserve water, saying that the water level in reservoirs is falling to dangerously low levels due to paucity of rains and a prolonged dry spell.

Sources said the water level in Simly Dam, the main source of water supply to the capital, was going down, with a citizen of Islamabad on an average consuming more than 400 litres of water a day.

Another problem was the decreasing ground water level, because of which the amount water supplied through the CDA tubewells had also decreased over the years, sources in the water directorate said.

The water-table, the sources said, had gone down from 10 to 20 metres in Islamabad over the last few years.

The CDA is using ground water to cater for the needs of 25 per cent of the capital’s population.

In reply to a question, officials in the environment ministry said the inhabitants of villages around the National Park were cutting down trees. This also affected the water situation, they added.

According to a study carried out by LEAD Pakistan, the domestic cattle herds are also endangering the environment as their overgrazing causes erosion.