Rawalpindi: Summer blues: Little water available to Pindi residents

[Naveed Yaseen]

* People say complaints to WASA, RCB go unattended
* Officials report a huge gap between demand and supply

By Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI: Poor water supply has been reported in many city and cantonment areas over the weeks, with the residents complaining of the reverent agencies’ indifference towards their misery.

Among the areas facing water shortage are Shamsabad, Gulistan-e-Jinnah, Farooq-e-Azam Road and Dhoke Kala Khan in the city and Naseerabad, Chorr Chowk, Siham, Allahabad, Westridge, Misrial Road, Tench Bhatta and Gwalmandi in the cantonment area.

Zeeshan Siddiqui, of Gulistan-e-Jinnah, told Daily Times on Friday that water supply to the area had been scant for the last six days. He also complained of inoperative tube well.

He said repeated complaints to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in this respect had so far fallen on deaf ears. He alleged the WASA officials remained away during office hours.

Nasir Yaqoob, of Shamsabad, said short supply of water had crippled people’s life. He said getting water from a private bowser cost Rs 600, which was unaffordable for him.

Nisar, a local teacher, quoted the WASA officials as telling him that tube well would take at least 10 more days for repair.

A WASA official, however, said a new tube well would be sunk within in the next two days as the current one was too outdated to be repaired.

The cantonment area residents criticised the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) for supplying water for just 15 minutes a day. They feared things would worsen as the mercury rose.

Mubarak Shah, a Chishtiabad shopkeeper, said the area had been without smooth water supply for the last many weeks. He said a private bowser charged Rs 700 and therefore, the poor people had to fetch water from far-away areas on foot.

Noor Rehman, another local, said the RCB had laid new waterlines in the area but no new water connection had been issued yet.

Jamil Ahmed, of Allahabad, accused the RCB officials of being discourteous when people approached them for redressal of complaints.

The officials, however, said the board faced a big gap between demand for water and its supply. They said the daily supply of nine million gallon water from Khanpur Dam was too little to meet their needs.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1