Chaklala residents face acute water shortage

Water supply shortfall reaches 5.2 million gallons per day

RAWALPINDI:

The residential population of the Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) is facing acute water shortage after supply from the Khanpur Dam and 48 tube wells have been reduced by 50 per cent. The average daily requirement of the CCB and its localities is approximately 35 million gallons of water.

Per the CCB’s data, the shortfall in water supply has reached 5.2 million gallons per day as compared to the daily water demand of 10.12 million gallons. The citizens are facing difficulties due to a decrease in the pressure of the water supply from the Khanpur Dam and depleting underground water levels from several tube wells.

At present, the worst water situation exists in areas of Dheri Hassanabad, Lala, Zar, Tulsa, Lal Kirti, Jhanda Chichi, Tipu Road, Gulistan Colony and Murir Hassan of the CCB, and Azizabad, Afshan Colony, Dhok Chaudharyan, Mughalabad, and Udara areas of the Rawalpindi Cantt.

Abdul Abasit Kayani, who was a candidate for the member Cantonment Ward 3, says several visits to the CCB authorities have proved to be a futile exercise. Women, children and elderly people are facing a very painful situation because they are not getting water, especially in Ramazan.

Chaklala Cantonment Board Member Raja Irfan Imtiaz says water is a basic need and they are facing severe difficulty due to the non-availability of water in the holy month. The issue of increasing water supply from the Khanpur Dam for the CCB areas is being raised in all forums including the board’s meeting, he adds.

CCB Vice President Khalid Mirza says that falling underground water levels and a decrease in water discharge from tube wells and water supply from the Khanpur Dam are core problems.

When the matter was raised at the level of the station commander, it was revealed that the Khanpur Dam’s water supply system is suffering from mismanagement and that water is being supplied to the Rawalpindi Cantt due to misuse of the Chaklala water valve. Despite the installation of the water valve on the Chaklala Cantonment supply line, the mismanagement in water distribution has started again, he added.

Khalid further says the matter once again has been brought to the notice of the station commander with a demand to ensure Chaklala water supply only for Chaklala residents.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2024.