Water shortage worsens in Pakistan's Rawalpindi as dams go dry

Water shortage in Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam has also led to the crisis as both the dams have almost touched the dead level, causing a severe water shortage in the garrison city, The Express Tribune reported citing officials.

The growing gap between water supply and demand has created a worrying situation in the city.

The water tanker business has thrived in the city, as one tanker is being sold between Rs3,000 and Rs 4,000.

Meanwhile, of the 460 tubwells functioning under the supervision of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in the city, three tubewells have stopped extracting water from 350 feet deep underground. The pressure of water being supplied from tube wells from 600 feet deep has progressively declined.

The depleting water level in Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam and the falling groundwater level has left a population of 1.6 million in the lurch with civic agencies only supplying 46 million gallons daily water against the requirement of 59 million, reported The Express Tribune.

It further reported that around 150 tubewells of Rawalpindi Cantonment and Chaklala boards have also started drying up because of falling groundwater levels. Tubewells in cantonment areas are not functioning to the optimum because of incessant load-shedding.

Citizens said that the water shortage has increased manifold in the recent past amidst rising temperatures.

WASA Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood said that future planning has become inevitable to meet the ever-increasing water need of the garrison city, reported The Express Tribune.

He said that Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam and tube wells were not capable of meeting the future water needs of the twin cities.

He said that in the first phase, 200 million gallons of water may be made available for the twin cities from Ghazi Barotha Dam while the supply can be doubled in the second and third phases.

Earlier, this month, experts had also warned that famine-like situations may arise in Pakistan due to the scarcity of water across the country if the issue is not resolved timely.