Water supply: Big chunk of budget to be spent on power generators

Islamabad: The civic agency will spend big chunk of its budget on running power generators during power outages to ensure smooth supply of water to the residents.

According to the details, six to eight hours of power loadshedding is expected in the federal capital in ongoing summer season and supply of water through 180 tubewells and water stations would be a big challenge for the civic agency in the face of limited financial resources. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) draws around 28 MGD of water from tubewells but it is likely to reduce to 18 MGD if power generators are not installed at all tubewells. The water shortage has already started in many areas due to unannounced power loadshedding and extreme heat.

The CDA is likely to make contacts with electricity supplier company to make preparations to cope with the issue of power loadshedding that can halt smooth supply of water in the city.

The latest estimates showed that the per day demand of water would increase up to 200 MGD due to increase in population. The development of new housing schemes and inflow of people from other parts of the country have increased the population of Islamabad to the extent where it has become difficult to meet water requirements in the capital city.

The residents of the rural areas maintained that power loadshedding always paralyses their normal life because they face acute shortage of water due to non-functioning tubewells in their areas. The town managers have pointed out that water for the twin cities is mainly supplied through tubewells and the Khanpur, Simly and Rawal Dams. However, the exponential increase in the populations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in recent years has driven the water supply situation almost to a crisis point.

An official has said, "We have already installed power generators at tubewells and water stations to deal with the issue of power loadshedding. The normal supply of water will continue even during the power outages."