Several neighbourhoods face water shortage

Official blames dwindling supplies from Khanpur, Rawal dams

ISLAMABAD:

Several areas of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are facing acute water shortage due to the depleting groundwater level and interrupted supply from nearby water dams.

According to an official of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), the water supply from Khanpur Dam and Rawal Dam has fallen which was insufficient to meet the demand. "The city needs about 60 million gallons of water per day. However, it is supplied with only 45 million gallons daily," he said.

One of the main reasons behind this shortfall is power outage which bars the WASA from turning on the 460 tubewells to add additional gallons of water, the official further said. Moreover, sources in the Ministry of Water Resources said that Tarbela Dam, Mangla Dam, and Chashma Barrage have reached the dead level, which would worsen the water scarcity.

Residents of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) have been affected the most. "The RCB was supplying water on an alternative basis, but for the past few months, we are getting half the quantity of the water on every 4th to 5th day," said a resident of Afshan Colony.

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A resident of Fazal Town said the local water supply company has stopped supplying water in his area. "We are depending on water tankers which are very costly." Besides the Cantt areas, Satellite Town, Sadiqabad, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Fauji Colony, Naseerabad, Shakriyal, Khanna, Ghauri Town, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Airport Housing Society, Gulraiz-I & II, Dhoke Chaudhrian, Dhoke Munshi, Ghareebabad, and Jhanda Chichi are facing severe water shortage.

Residents of these areas have demanded that the government should take effective measures for permanently solving the problem of water shortage.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2022.