New WASA chief vows to address water shortages

Says efforts would be made to draw water from the Ghazi-Barotha project

RAWALPINDI: To resolve the water crisis brewing in the garrison city, plans are afoot to draw water from the Ghazi-Barotha water project.

This was revealed by the newly appointed Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) chairman Ziaullah Shah. A former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA from Rawalpindi, Shah said that the water shortage had become a big issue in the city and he would play his role in arranging more water for the residents of the city.

In a statement, the Wasa chairman said that he would soon meet with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ask him for starting work on the Ghazi-Barotha project soon.

Shah added that a number of residents had approached him while complaining about water shortage.

Residents of Rawalpindi, in the cantonment and suburbs alike, have been suffering from water scarcity since March.

Inadequate rainfall last winter had further aggravated the situation.

Wasa draws water from three sources, Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam, and tube wells. The city requires 60 million gallons of water every day (MGD) but the agency has so far been able to provide only 56 mgds. This is in part due to the fact that levels of underground water had fallen quite a bit, as a result, the productivity of tube wells had fallen drastically.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2017.