TAXILA, May 6: Severe shortage of water is feared in Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the summer as the water level in the Khanpur dam is drying up fast.

Official sources told this correspondent here on Sunday that due to the decrease in the inflow, hot weather and lack of sufficient rains in the catchment area, the water level in the reservoir had reached an alarmingly low level.

The SDO of the dam, Zahidul Hassan said at present the water level in the dam was 1,939 feet above sea level while the inflow was 16 cusecs per day against the outflow of 193 cusecs per day. He said for municipal water supply, 70 cusecs per day was being supplied to Islamabad and for irrigation purpose Punjab was getting 42 cusecs per day while KP 60 cusecs per day. He said curtailment in the water supply for irrigation purposes was in sight if the catchment area did not get more rains.

He said the water level in the dam was 29 feet above the dead level which was 1,910 feet.

However, he claimed that the water in the dam would be enough for drinking purposes till the advent of monsoon. “There is enough water for drinking purposes for the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” said the SDO. “The maximum level of the dam is 1,982 feet and the minimum 1,910 feet,” he said.

Meanwhile, due to the reduction in the water level, the arrival of visitors and picnickers in the dam has decreased and boatmen have left their boats abandoned at the dried-up surface of the lake. Raja Mohammad Javed, who runs water and speedboats in the dam, said due to reduction in the water level, the flow of visitors, tourists and picnickers had declined. He said most of the boatmen had turned to other businesses. Another boatmen Raja Waseem said picnickers, especially women and children, used to come here on weekends but due to the decline in the water level, they were not coming now.

Kashif Ilyas, who had come to the area along with his family, said they were disappointed to see the low level of water in the dam. Kehkashan Tanveer, another visitor from Wah Cantt, said she had come along with her children to enjoy boating but the water level in the dam was so low.