Water shortage hits Pindiites hard

RAWALPINDI: Due to shortfall of rains and dry weather, the water situation is turning alarming in Rawalpindi and the excessive power outages by Iesco since the start of holy month of Ramazan has further deteriorated the water crisis in the city.

The water shortage in Rawalpindi has increased by 75 per cent due to frequent power breakdowns by Iesco, since the last three weeks. Compared to the previous month, the number of complaints of water shortage have increased manifold and we are

finding it hard to meet water supply through tankers, said an official at the Wasa’s complaint office.

According to Ashfaq, incharge of the Wasa’s Complaint Section, water shortage complaints have risen to beyond 700 per day due to increase in load shedding after May 15.

According to Wasa officials, it has 21 water bowsers which are insufficient to supply water to the 47 wards of the city. The number of bowsers needs to be at least doubled to meet the demand, they said. However, the water agency is facing financial crunch therefore it is not in a position to purchase the required number of bowsers, they said.

Wasa had sent a summary to the Punjab government requesting a bailout package worth Rs500 million.

However, the process stopped with the change of the government. It is being earnestly hoped that the new government would grant the bailout package to Wasa and the water shortage would be addressed to some extent.

The Wasa officials complain that power remains suspended for nearly 6 to 7 hours in a day making it hard to overcome the shortages. The interim government should look into reducing the length of the load shedding to minimize the shortages, they demanded.