Water shortage grips cantt areas

Residents get supply on alternate days; forced to buy water from private tankers

RAWALPINDI:

Residents of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) areas are facing an acute water crisis, with a widening supply shortfall, declining groundwater yields and reduced inflows from Khanpur Dam leaving thousands of households struggling to meet their daily water needs.

The crisis has intensified despite a substantial increase in water charges by the cantonment authorities. The annual water supply bill for a five-marla residential property has been raised from Rs8,400 to Rs14,400, while residents say the quantity of water supplied has continued to decline.

According to officials and local representatives, water supply from Khanpur Dam has fallen from the allocated 19 million gallons per day (MGD) to only 11 MGD, while the discharge from tube wells has declined significantly due to falling groundwater levels.

As a result, the combined daily water shortfall in the two cantonment jurisdictions has reached 41.64 MGD, with many tube wells no longer producing sufficient water.

Residents across the cantonment areas complain that water is now supplied only on alternate days for 25 to 30 minutes.

In Rawalpindi Cantonment, the daily water demand stands at 50 MGD, while only 12.78 MGD is currently available, resulting in a daily shortfall of 37.22 MGD.

Residents of densely populated neighbourhoods, including Mughalabad and Azizabad, said the worsening shortage had made daily life increasingly difficult. They complained that despite receiving water for barely half the month, they continue to be billed for a full month's supply.

Former RCB Vice-President Malik Munir Ahmed said the cantonment was entitled to receive 19 MGD from Khanpur Dam but was currently receiving only 11 MGD. He alleged that a considerable quantity of stored water was being lost through seepage, exacerbating the already critical situation.

Responding to the concerns, RCB Chief Engineer Ateequr Rehman Chaudhry said efforts were under way to improve the water supply system. He explained that the alternate-day supply schedule had been introduced to allow sufficient storage so that water could be distributed more evenly across all localities.

The situation is equally alarming in the CCB, where the water supply system in all 10 wards has come under severe strain. Against a daily demand of 10.12 MGD, only 5.92 MGD is available, resulting in a daily shortfall of 4.2 MGD.

Residents of Kamalabad, Jhawara, Tahli Mohri and adjoining localities said the prolonged shortage had forced them to purchase expensive private water tankers. They claimed repeated complaints lodged with the CCB had failed to produce any lasting solution.