Rawalpindi sizzles as water crisis deepens

Private water tanker owners cash in on power-outage-induced disruption, jack up prices

RAWALPINDI:

The garrison city of Rawalpindi is grappling with unannounced and prolonged power outages, which, coupled with the intensifying summer heat, have severely disrupted the water supply system, especially in suburban areas.

This disruption has allowed private water tanker owners to exploit the situation by significantly hiking their prices. The cost of private water tankers has skyrocketed, with small tankers now costing between Rs1,200 and Rs1,500, medium tankers ranging from Rs1,600 to Rs2,000, and large tankers costing from Rs2,000 to Rs2,600.

Citizens constructing houses in suburban areas are particularly affected and have announced plans to stage a protest. They intend to demonstrate in front of the WASA office, the Cantonment Board office, and the deputy commissioner's office, carrying empty pots to symbolise their plight.

The water crisis is exacerbated by the intense heat and a continuous decline in the underground water level. In the inner city, tube wells operated by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Cantonment Boards are drying up. The underground water level has alarmingly dropped to depths of 700 to 900 feet. Old government tube wells built just 3.5 years ago and initially dug to a depth of 500 feet, have completely dried up.

Additionally, the excessive usage of the remaining tube wells, which are being run for 8 to 14 hours a day, has caused the motors of many of them to break down. This has forced most members of the community, including women, children, and the elderly, to venture far from their homes to fetch water.

The inner city areas hardest hit by the water crisis include Dhoke Khabba, Dhoke Elahi Bakhsh, Arya Mohalla, Fazalabad, Millat Colony, Chah Sultan, Chamanzar, Fuji, Kasni, Pirwadhai, Dhok Hasoo, Naya Mohalla, Mohan Wara, Amarpura, Tench Bhata, Peoples Colony, Dhok Syedan, Gulistan Colony, Dhok Chaudharyan, Sharoon Colony, Dhok Lakan, Shaban Colony, Chakri Road, Adiala Road, Dhok Juma, and Dhamiyal.

Women in these areas have protested against the non-availability of water. They have demanded that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, MNA Qamarul Salam, and MPA Imran Mehrban address the water supply issues in Shaaban Colony and Dhok Lakan. They emphasised the urgent need for clean drinking water, stating, "The people of Dhok Lakan and Shaaban Colony, including children and women, are desperately waiting for access to clean drinking water.”

“We demand that the government establish public tube wells to meet the community's needs, rather than allowing the tanker mafia to monopolise water resources on Girja Road."

Currently, approximately 15 to 20 private water tube wells operate within a kilometre radius of Girja Road, selling water tankers at arbitrary rates. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2024.