Water crisis hits 14 Pindi localities

Shortage comes as Capital Development Authority revokes tube well NOCs

RAWALPINDI:

A severe water crisis has emerged in 14 localities at the Rawalpindi-Islamabad border after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) revoked No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for 20 tube wells and water borings installed with official permission in areas from Faizabad to Koral Chowk and adjoining localities.

Residents have been deprived of water for the last three days, triggering protests by women, children and other residents.

Private water tanker operators have raised prices, with small tankers now selling for Rs2,500 and large tankers for Rs3,500.

Local philanthropists collected donations and purchased large tankers to distribute water free of cost. WASA and the district administration have been accused of remaining absent from the situation.

CDA revoked NOCs of 15 tube wells operated by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). Four tube wells established during former president Pervez Musharraf's tenure through Asian Development Bank support and operated by a community-based NGO were also shut down and their equipment seized.

The closure has completely halted water supply in Rahmatabad, Ghareebabad Blocks A, B, C and D, Gulrez, Jabbar Colony, Banaras Colony, Dhoke Chaudhrian, Mumtaz Colony, Nayyar Colony, Chaklala, Dhoke Munshi and adjoining informal settlements, forcing residents to search for water with containers in hand.

According to the WASA Managing Director, 15 tube wells costing Rs1.16 billion were planned along Islamabad Expressway service roads under a Punjab government project.

Nine have been completed and six are under construction, but IESCO has yet to provide electricity connections. Although CDA later restored the NOCs, implementation has not taken place.

Residents said four tube wells installed in 2002 with support from the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and Japan had supplied water on a no-profit, no-loss basis through a community-based operator.

After nearly 26 years, their permits were revoked and machinery confiscated. NOCs for private household borings were also cancelled, with operations, challans and fines initiated against residents.

WASA says water supply can resume within 24 hours if electricity connections are provided to its completed tube wells.

A CDA spokesperson maintained that the land falls within Islamabad's jurisdiction and cannot be used by another district without its approval.

Hundreds of men and women led by Haider Ali, Yasir Bhatti, Raja Nasir, Amjad Ali Shah and Fayyaz Khan staged protests and warned that if water is not restored within 24 hours, sit-ins will be held outside the offices of the commissioner, deputy commissioner and WASA.

Residents said Federal Parliamentary Secretary Daniyal Chaudhry had approved two additional tube wells for the area, but work has not yet begun. PTI MPA Tanveer Aslam also raised the issue in the Punjab Assembly, where the government suggested waiting until 2029 for a new dam project.

Residents have appealed to the prime minister, interior minister, chief minister and commissioner for immediate intervention.