Pindiites urged to use water judiciously to avoid shortage

Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Water & Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi has urged the residents to use water judiciously in their daily routine to avoid shortage as water supply to cantonment and city areas from Khanpur dam has been decreased due to annual Khanpur Dam canal de-silting project.

Talking to this agency, RCB spokesman Qaiser Mehmood informed that earlier the RCB was receiving nearly six million gallons daily from the dam.

The Khanpur Dam canal de-silting project started on February 1 and would be completed till February 12 while the water supply to the residents would normalise up to February 15. The supply of water from Khanpur Dam to Rawalpindi city and the cantonment areas was reduced due the project, leading to a shortage of water in many localities.

He said the decrease in water supply could create problems for the board, which was already getting less than the sanctioned quota of water from Khanpur Dam. He said the board was trying to meet water demand through tube wells.

The board supplies water from the Khanpur Dam to Chor, Masrial Road, Peoples Colony, Tench Bhatta, Kiani Road, Dhoke Chaudharian, Afshan Colony and other areas where the residents had made complaints about the short supply of water.

RCB had to supply water through water tanks, he said adding water from tube wells were being supplied to colonies by running them overtime. To a question, he said that RCB had been effectively pursuing its plan to avert water shortage and ensure steady water supply to the resident.

RCB under its campaign launched to check and disconnect illegal water connections from its areas had also disconnected a large number of illegal water connections. To another question, he informed that there were over 51,000water connections in RCB areas. According to WASA officials, water supply from Khanpur Dam was also curtailed to WASA from 3.5 MGD to 1.5 MGD due to annual dredging/de-silting of Khanpur Dam canal.

The reduced water supply will affect many areas including Pir Wadhai, Khyban-e-Sir Syed, Dhoke Matkaal, Shamsabad, Iqbal Town, Muslim Town Sadiqabad and some of parts of Satellite Town, he added. They also appealed the citizens for judicious use of water and to maintain essential storage.

They said that during this period WASA was operating its tube wells for extra hours to supply water to the citizens particularly affected areas. Water supply through water bowsers was also being ensured but these all measures cannot fulfil the entire requirements of the consumers.

Therefore, the consumers are requested to avoid wastage of water during this period. They informed that water supply would be restored after completion of the project, he added.