No let-up in Pindi cantt residents’ water woes

RAWALPINDI: While there is enough water in Rawal and Khanpur dams after heavy rains in the twin cities, water shortage in cantonment areas continues.

“We are facing water shortage despite heavy rains in the garrison city but the water branch of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) claims that there is a shortage of water from Khanpur Dam,” said Mohammad Azmat, a resident of Aliabad near Peshawar Road.

Ahmed Kamal, a resident of Tench Bhatta, said that the tubewell operator did not open supply for more than 15 minutes and it was difficult for people to fill their underground water tanks.

He said people had no other option but to buy water through private tankers.

He said people had to spend an amount of Rs5,000 to Rs6,000 every month on water tankers and RCB charges the residents regularly without providing them water.

The situation in Chaklala Cantonment area is equally bad.

There are limited tubewells as underground water is not available in the area and people have to rely on private tankers.

“A supply system exists in most areas but water is not supplied,” said Mohammad Anwar, a resident of Kamalabad, adding roads and streets were in bad shapes and there was no water supply in thickly-populated areas.

CCB’s former vice president Raja Irfan Imtiaz told Dawn that elected members of the cantonment were worried about shortage of water but there was no solution.

He said water was being supplied to residents from Khanpur Dam, adding tubewells in the cantonment area were not enough.

He said elected members must request the government to chalk out a plan to provide water from other dams to end the shortage of water.