Rawalpindi to hit by water crisis in next 5 years

Rawalpindi : The problem of water is deepening in Rawalpindi city and Cantonments areas with each passing day and according to officials of the civic bodies if work on construction of major dams Ghazi Barotha and Indus River is not initiated without any further delay then the situation would completely go out of hand in next five years.

Though every official in the civic bodies is unanimous in claiming about worsening situation of water to occur in next five years, however deputy director, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Saqib Khan specially stressed on construction of dams particularly Indus River project and Ghazi Barotha in order to avert any possible crisis like condition to obtain in Rawalpindi.

He said that though situation of water level improves in dams with heavy rains during Monsoon season and in winter periods, however, the real mess which is aggravating with time passage is decreasing of underground water level.

He said due to rapid fall of water level in underground is causing concern for us to meet its demand particularly during summer times. With the decrease in water level in underground, the tube well one of the two major source of supply to the consumers have stopped working in several union councils of Rawalpindi city. Millions of rupees are spent on installation of tube wells to supply committee water to the consumers. However, now tube wells have started to stop functioning because of fall of underground level of water.

Only last year, other officials of the civic bodies claimed about fall of underground water level by more than 600 feet. However, Saqib Khan gave a different picture about it. As he said, the level of underground water has fallen by 250 feet which he said is a critical sign. Under these situation tube wells fail to operate for supplying water to respective areas.

In present circumstances, it has become need of the hour to stop working on installing tube wells rather we should focus on dams constructions to overcome crisis like situation of water in Rawalpindi in next five years.

Similarly, while initiating work on Ghazi Barotha and Indus River we should also lay all our efforts on construction of small dams which would work as reservoirs in Rawalpindi and other parts of country.

To a question, the deputy director appreciated the efforts of the present government for focusing on construction of Mohmadan Dam. However, a single or two dams are not enough to avert water crisis to obtain in next five years. All is needed to initiate Ghazi Barotha and Indus River scheme in order to complete them at the earliest possible time, Saqib stressed.