The residents of Rawalpindi are facing acute water shortage because of long hours of electricity loadshedding but the concerned authorities are not addressing the problem.

According to the Meteorological Office, hot weather would prevail in most parts of the country, including Rawalpindi and Islamabad, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) officials say that shortage of funds, long hours of unscheduled loadshedding, less recovery of dues, non-increase in water tariff and the government’s ignorance towards financial support are the main causes of water shortage in the city.

RCB Assistant Secretary Rana Amanullah Khan said that they have no generators to run tubewells and filtration plants during loadshedding. A senior official of Wasa, on condition of anonymity, said that they have power generators but no funds for buying diesel to run them. “The department can run tubewells and filtration plants through generators but nobody cares about the difficulties of public,” he added.

Muhammad Anwar, a resident of Jan Colony, said that they pay all utility bills but could not get the facilities of electricity and water. Residents are forced to arrange for water tankers for Rs800 and Rs1,000.

Riaz Ahmed Butt of Mohanpura said that they have to fetch water from a long distance. He said that they were facing long hours of loadshedding and water shortage but the government is not taking the matter seriously.

Sadia Akhtar, a housewife, said that she could not clean her house because of non-availability of water. She said that they spend sleepless nights because of loadshedding.

When ‘The News’ contacted Iesco’s Manager (Operations) Sheikh Abid, he said that electricity shortfall touched 6,800 MW, therefore, the public is facing loadshedding. He appealed to the enraged public not to damage Iesco offices because the concerned staff is totally helpless in this situation.