RAWALPINDI, July 1: Many areas of the garrison city have been facing acute water shortage for the last two days, with the residents saying that the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has turned a deaf ear to their complaints.

Among the areas facing water shortage are Saddar, Misrial Road, Azizabad, Mughalabad, Dhoke Hafiz, Aliabad, Tench Bhatta and Adra in the jurisdiction of the RCB.

Mohammad Asghar of Iqbal Colony told Dawn that water supply to the area had been stopped for the last two days.

He also complained about the indifference attitude of the RCB toward their miseries.

He alleged that the board officials remained away during office hours.

Zubair Ahmed of Misrial Road said that the water shortage had crippled their life and getting water from a private tanker cost him Rs1,000, which was unaffordable.

Another resident Mohammad Suhail, quoting the RCB officials, said water level in Khanpur Dam was just a few feet above the dead level and if it did not rain the dam would dry up.

A senior RCB official, however, said main supply line, damaged by the excavators of Peshawar Road project contractors, would be repaired in next four to five days.

When contacted, the RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan said that the board was striving to improve the water supply to Pindi areas. He said daily supply had been reduced from Khanpur Dam to only 5.8 million gallon daily (MGD), which was too little to meet their needs.

“The situation will improve after the monsoon rain as the water level at the dam was receding due to dry weather in the region,” he said and added water reservoirs in the cantonment had water for only ten days.

He lashed out at Khanpur Dam administration and said that water pilferage was reported in the area due to negligence of the administration. It had been asked to stop the pilferage as soon as possible.

He said the RCB would initiate new projects during current fiscal year 2012-13 to improve supply network in different localities.