No check on sale of water via illegal hydrants
An illegal hydrant being demolished in January this year during an anti-encroachment drive by the KWSB. PHOTO: FILE
The sale of water to residents through illegal hydrants hooked into dozens of illegal tube wells on the banks of Swan River in Rawalpindi is going on with impunity as the local administration has turned a blind eye to the blatant violation and illegality.
Private tankers continue to sell water from these hydrants to new housing societies in the city and Cantonment areas around the clock with per tanker costing between Rs3,500 and Rs7,000, depending on the distance from the illegal hydrants to the intended area.
Surprisingly, dozens of transformers have also been installed near these hydrants to supply uninterrupted electricity to the illegal hydrants connected to tube wells.
These illegal hydrants have been established at an extended and deep pit near the Swan River bridge where underground water reserves are in abundance.
Water is first transferred through large pipes from tube wells to overhead tanks installed in the areas before it was supplied to tankers to dispense the commodity to the intended location.
Although the government claims to own the underground water reserves, in reality, the tanker mafia makes a profitable business through these illegal water hydrants.
Starting from the banks of the Swan River, the network of this illegal business extends to areas as far as Morgah, Gulraiz, Gulistan Colony, Lalazar and adjoining private housing societies in city and Cantonment areas.
Owing to the illegal extraction of water, underground water reserves are rapidly tumbling. Citizens are compelled to buy the commodity at an exorbitant price as the government has failed to ensure water supply through its networks.
All allied departments including the Water and Sanitation Agency seems to be helpless in front of the influential tanker mafia connected to the illegal business.
The citizens, who are already suffering from superinflation, have demanded of the authorities concerned that they should be supplied water through government networks to get rid of buying the basic commodity at an unaffordable and high price.
Residents of Gulistan Colony, Jahangir Shah, Malik Javed, Tanveer Shah, Khuram, Raja Basharat, Aijaz Shah and others said that there is a severe shortage of water in their area. They also said that the Chaklala Cantonment Board has also failed to ensure water supply to various areas in its jurisdiction, forcing residents to buy water from private tankers at a high cost. Meanwhile, in Chakri Road, Adiala Road, Girja Road, Masrial Road, Chakra, Sadiqabad and in other areas, the business of buying and selling water is going on with impunity and owners of illegal water hydrants claimed that the price of water was low but the rate increases according to the distance.
WASA Managing Director Muhammad Tanveer said that the sale of water through illegal hydrants was illegal and the underground water reservoirs were owned by the government. He claimed that the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner has issued instructions to take legal action against owners of illegal hydrants. He said that legal action will be taken against the illegal hydrants at the earliest.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2022.