Rawalpindi fights water waste

In response to a worsening water crisis, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi has launched a city-wide crackdown on domestic and commercial users wasting water.

The agency has begun issuing heavy fines — Rs10,000 for households and Rs20,000 for commercial consumers — for activities such as washing courtyards, streets and vehicles using hosepipes.

Additionally, WASA has initiated a major operation against water thieves and bill defaulters, cutting off connections of 46 such violators across the city.

With rising summer temperatures, the district is now facing acute water shortages, forcing residents, including women and children, to fetch water from distant areas.

WASA Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf stated that the agency is currently supplying 51 million gallons of water per day, while the demand has surged to 70 million gallons.

To bridge this gap, WASA has increased the operating hours of tube wells, is addressing system leakages, and ensuring equitable water distribution across all areas, he added.

Tube well operations are also being aligned with scheduled electricity supplies in load-shedding-affected areas.

In accordance with court orders, fines for water wastage are being strictly enforced.

WASA has also launched awareness campaigns, encouraging citizens to conserve water and store it in home tanks. Notices are being issued to bill defaulters by the WASA magistrate, and recovery efforts have begun.