RAWALPINDI: With temperature touching 40°C, the water woes of the residents of the garrison city deepened.

The residents of the garrison city are facing acute water shortage. Due to low voltage the tube-wells are lying shut.

On the other hand, the ground water table is also depleting fast and many tubewells have gone dry which has further added to the residents’ problems.

In the current situation, the demand for private water tankers has increased manifold.

The Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) have failed to respond to numerous complaints.

The city areas include Ratta Amral, Railway Workshop Road, Chaklala, Fazal Town, Chaudhry Bostan Khan Road, Nayyar Colony, Gulistan Colony, Westridge, Misrial Road, Saidpur Road, Asghar Mall Scheme, Satellite Town, Murree Road and other adjoining localities are badly affected by power failure and water shortage.

“The PML-N leaders’ claim to end energy crisis and water shortage has turned out to be mere sloganeering,” said Waris Mir, a resident of Bhabara Bazaar.

“We have to fetch potable water from filtration plants in adjoining residential localities while for washing purposes, from a tubewell installed in Purana Qila,” he said.

Mohammad Rafique, a resident of Saddar, said that due to low voltage, water motors were not working.

Another resident of the cantonment, Bilal Shah, said that irregular water supply had exposed the performance of the cantonment board. He said he paid Rs26,000 water bills but did not receive water.

Meanwhile, water filtration plants in Shallay Valley, Misrial Road and People’s Colony are out of order and the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has failed to repaire it, forcing people to get water for drinking purposes from Saddar.

“Water filtration plant has been out of order for a month and despite several complaints the civic body has failed to repair it,” said Asim Janjua, a resident of Shalley Valley.

The main filtration plant in Westridge is also not working for a month, compelling people to get water from a private water bore near Shah Peyara graveyard, said Faisal Malik, a resident of Lane 7 on Peshawar Road.

When contacted, the RCB official on condition of anonymity said for want of funds, the RCB could not repair the water filtration plants. However, he said the repair work on the plants would start soon.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018