Need to regulate bowser operators

Rawalpindi is already facing an acute water crisis. Its rapid infrastructural expansion has led to an ever-increasing demand for water, and the concerned department has not been able to keep up.

The Wasa tasked with water supply, still does not cover the areas merged into the urban years ago. Over the years, private water tanker operators have bridged this gap in water supply, playing a crucial role in the city’s daily life.

“The groundwater supplied by private tankers is unfit for consumption. They also charge exorbitant amounts, especially in peak summer, mainly due to their monopoly over the business,” says Zaheer Abbas.

“I am not sure who is tasked with issuing trade licenses to water-tanker operators. The non-issuance of the license means, leaving the business entirely unregulated. This leads to a lack of checks or oversight on the quality of water supply,” says Nadeem Syed.

“Is there any system of permits to draw water? Who is responsible for issuing permits to dig bore wells? A tanker owner, Asghar Shah, says,” We have no permits for commercial bore wells, on grounds that the groundwater levels are dangerously low. As a result, we draw thousands of litres of water daily from domestic bore wells or illegally dug bore wells.”

“All commercial bore wells should have meters to ascertain the amount of water drawn from bore wells. The ascertainment of the withdrawal can help limit the withdrawal of groundwater by commercial exploiters. A levy for the use of groundwater resources is necessary for cleaning up groundwater resources,” says Bilal Haider.

“However, these solutions will bear fruit only if there is an increase in human resources in the concerned department in a commensurate manner, especially in terms of hiring experienced hydro-geologists, engineers, and ground staff,” adds Bilal.

Until the concerned department is able to ensure piped water supply to the entire city, steps need to be taken to regularise water-tankers (bowsers). The concerned authority must also collect and store information on all tankers operating in the city as well as their water sources,” says Burhan Ali.

“It must make bylaws to regulate water tankers in the city. These bylaws must contain provisions on the requisite physical condition of the tankers, mandatory coating requirements to prevent rusting inside tankers, water quality standards, and the power to cap prices to curtail predatory pricing in peak summer months,” adds Burhan.

Creating a comprehensive database of groundwater levels throughout the city is essential. Aquifer (water-bearing formations that exist underground) plans must stringently record the amount, uses, quality, etc. of groundwater within each aquifer,” says Jafar Reza.

“This needs to be done to ascertain the water resources available in the city and to calculate the number of tankers necessary to fulfil demand. This data can go a long way in ensuring better water supply throughout the city,” adds Jafar.