Daily nuisance : Water shortfall in cantt soars to 34m gallons

RCB increases rates for domestic, commercial consumers.

RAWALPINDI: Water shortfall in the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) areas has risen to 34 million gallons per day (MGD), as only 11 million gallons are available against a demand of 45 MGD.

RCB gets nine million gallons from Khanpur Dam and another two million from 60 tube wells. Phase-III of the Khanpur Dam Water Supply Project (KDWSP) has been delayed for long.

RCB officials say the board has requested the Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s Bulk Water Management Directorate to increase RCB’s share from 9MGD to 11MGD from Khanpur Dam.



It has also been learnt that RCB has not paid Rs500 million, which it owes to the CDA for maintenance, repair and operational cost of KDWSP.

As a result, many RCB areas are facing water shortage. The board supplies water to most areas for only 30 minutes a day. RCB says it has planned to install 10 new tube-wells to bridge the shortage. Federal government has also announced to provide Rs131 million to RCB for phase-III of KDWSP.

Phase-III envisages several new overhead and underground water tanks and expansion of the supply network. Total cost of the project is Rs290 million.

Water rates up

On the other hand, the board has increased rates for domestic as well as commercial consumers. According to the new rates, five-marla domestic consumers will have to pay Rs250 instead of Rs200. Those who paid Rs300 will now pay Rs600.

Total number of registered consumers is 44,000. However, illegal connections are also in thousands.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2015.