The water crisis has exacerbated in Rawalpindi as tube wells are not operating to the full capacity due to frequent power cuts and a declining supply from Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam.
The water demand has increased manifolds as the city has been under the grip of sweltering temperatures and a heatwave.
Around 46 union councils of the city have been facing water shortages with a large number of people lodging complaints about the non-availability of water with WASA complaint offices.
At present, 480 tube wells and 162 water filtration plants of WASA are working in the city. Despite receiving 13 million gallons of water per day from Rawal Dam and 6 million gallons of water per day from Khanpur Dam, the demand has increased manyfold due to the extreme temperatures.
Managing Director Water and Sanitation Agency WASA Muhammad Tanveer said that areas facing water shortages, the supply was being provided through tankers. For surprise checking, officials have been tasked to identify the tube well operators who remain absent from duty so that legal action could be taken against them.
The WASA official said that according to the Meteorological Department, a major spell of rains was expected in the last week of June. This will not only raise the groundwater level but also increase the water storage in the dams, which is likely to improve the water supply situation in July, he said.
Many citizens have resorted to digging boring wells in their homes. However, the underground water level has dropped alarmingly to 600 feet and many boring wells have run dry.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2022.
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