RCB halts water tanker service amid shortage

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has suspended water supply through tankers despite a significant drop in underground water levels and reduced water supply from Khanpur Dam.

Of the five available water tankers, one is out of order, three are designated for bungalows, and one is assigned to a project on Bank Road, according to an RCB spokesperson.

Residents across cantonment areas are facing acute water shortages due to the depletion of underground water levels, which have dropped to 700-850 feet, reducing the efficiency of tube wells.

Additionally, prolonged drought has led to a decrease in the water storage at Khanpur Dam, further straining the supply network.

RCB has large overhead water tanks in Westridge and Gawalmandi, which are used for direct pipeline distribution and tanker-based supply. However, the board has now restricted four of its five tankers to serving VIP residential areas, leaving ordinary citizens without access to water deliveries.

Many neighbourhoods, including People's Colony, Dhoke Choudhrian, Dhoke Banaras, Shalley Valley, Tench Bhatta, Dhoke Syedan, Misrial Road, Chohar Chowk, and Naseerabad, are struggling with severe shortages.

Despite numerous requests for water tankers, citizens receive a standard response that the service has been completely halted. Meanwhile, there are reports that RCB continues to refill its own and other affiliated institutions' tankers from overhead reservoirs around the clock. When questioned, RCB Assistant Secretary Rashid Saqib stated that out of five water tankers, one is non-functional, one is being used for the Saddar underground electrification and beautification project, and the remaining three are dedicated to supplying bungalows.

He confirmed that these tankers cannot be reassigned, making it impossible to provide water to the general public.

In July, 2023, the water tanker system meant for supplying water in the RCB areas had been completely paralysed.