Water crisis in Rawalpindi. Photo: INP (file)
RAWALPINDI:
Residents of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) areas are facing an acute water crisis, with a growing supply deficit, falling 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 increased by Rs8,400 to Rs14,400, while residents say the quantity of water supplied has continued to decline.
According to local officials and representatives, the water supply from Khanpur Dam has fallen from the allocated 19 million gallons per day (MGD) to just 11 MGD, while the flow rate from tube wells has reduced significantly due to falling groundwater levels.
As a result, the combined daily water deficit in the two cantonment jurisdictions reached 41.64 MGD, with many tube wells no longer producing sufficient water.
Residents of the cantonment areas complain that water is now supplied only every other day for 25-30 minutes.
In Rawalpindi cantonment, the daily water demand stands at 50 MGD, while only 12.78 MGD is currently available, resulting in a daily deficit of 37.22 MGD.
Residents of densely populated districts, including Mughalabad and Azizabad, said the worsening shortage had made daily life increasingly difficult. They complained that even though they only received water for half the month, they continued 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 currently it was receiving only 11 MGD. He alleged that a considerable quantity of stored water was being lost through seepage, thereby worsening the already critical situation.
Responding to the concerns, RCB Chief Engineer Ateequr Rehman Chaudhry said efforts were underway to improve the water supply system. He explained that the alternate day supply scheme was introduced to allow sufficient storage so that water could be distributed more evenly to all localities.
The situation is equally alarming in the CCB, where the water supply system of the 10 districts is under severe stress. Faced with a daily demand of 10.12 MGD, only 5.92 MGD is available, resulting in a daily deficit of 4.2 MGD.
Residents of Kamalabad, Jhawara, Tahli Mohri and adjoining localities said the prolonged shortage had forced them to buy expensive private water tankers. They claimed that repeated complaints to the CCB had not resulted in a lasting solution.
