Residents hold protest against water shortage 

Rawalpindi

Availability of water in most of the localities of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has worsened. The residents of street nos. 19 and 20, Gazi Road near Shah Piyara Allabad on Saturday strongly protested against the shortage of water supply. 

The residents took to the streets in different localities of RCB areas on the occasion.

The protesters alleged that some officials of RCB (Water Supply) are providing illegal connections to the public.

"We are continuously protesting in front of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board  office against non-availability of water in our area but nobody listening to us," Nusrat Shaheen, a protester and resident of Street no. 9 told 'The News' on Saturday. She said that we will block Peshawar Road if Rawalpindi Cantonment Board  not provided us water because we are continuously paying water bills.

She alleged that some of RCB officials are installing illegal water connections and we will approach to court against it, in this regard, she warned.  

"In such a hot and humid weather, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has started water rationing by supplying the basic commodity to the residents after one or two days for less than even an hour," Muhammad Iqbal, a protester said. He said that we are poor people and could not afford buy water tanker in  Rs1,200.

"I am diabetic patient but bring water from far off areas and sometimes my wife also brings water," he denounced.

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Water Supply (wall man) of affected locality Zahoor Ahmed has admitted that we are supplying water to these localities (street no. 19 and 20) less time for some days.

He said that I am totally helpless before the orders of higher authorities. The residents every day lodge complaints about water shortage in their areas, in the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board  office, but I am helpless in this situation, he claimed.

He rejected all allegations of installing illegal water connections and said that we provide connection with the orders of senior officials.

A senior official of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board  on anonymity said that the water level had reduced in the Khanpur Dam which was the main source of water for the cantonment areas. He said the civic body was planning to install more tubewells but the underground water level in the area had also decreased.