Water shortage intensifies in Pak's Rawalpindi

The water shortage has intensified in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi due to the depleting groundwater level and scorching heat.

According to The Express Tribune, the water shortage has intensified in the garrison city as the groundwater level went down around 700 feet on Friday while the water in Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam has touched the dead level.

"Water supply in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed is available only three days a week while on the remaining four days citizens have no choice but form a queue to fetch water from outside. The serious shortage of water has made our lives miserable especially in this hot weather," The Express Tribune quoted Saeed Shams, a resident of the locality as saying.

Another resident Muhammad Ayub said the water shortage in his locality has reached its peak in the city. "The use of water has increased in the scorching heat but there is no water supply. In this situation, people are buying water tankers to meet their water needs," he said. A tanker is being sold for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 for which they have to wait for several days after they book an order for the water tanker, he added.

Meanwhile, a Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) official on the condition of anonymity said that hundreds of construction projects in Rawalpindi have been completed or are being completed. The reason for the water shortage is the presence of concrete everywhere. Rainwater does not go underground, but flows into the river through the canals.

According to experts, groundwater level has gone down around 700 feet while several tubewells have dried up because of prolonged dry spell. They added that construction of the Daducha and Ghazi Barotha dams must be completed immediately to deal with the serious water shortage, reported The Express Tribune.

( With inputs from ANI )