The water shortage in Rawalpindi has made the residents rely on private tankers.
Large parts of Rawalpindi city and cantonment are facing a severe water shortage during the peak summer season, with many residents saying they have been forced to rely on private water tankers as regular supplies remain disrupted.
The shortage has affected several areas in the cantonment, including Misrial Road, Afshan Colony, Dhoke Chaudhrian, People’s Colony, Adra, Tench Bhatta, Dhoke Syedan and Baraf Khana Chowk. In the city, residents living along the old Airport Road, from Koral Chowk to Ammar Chowk, have also reported supply problems after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) stopped providing water from tubewells within its jurisdiction.
Residents said the problem had continued despite repeated complaints to the authorities.
Farhan Malik, a resident of Misrial Road, said water shortages had become a regular feature during the summer months. He alleged that the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) had failed to ensure an uninterrupted supply despite water being available from Khanpur Dam.
“We are neither supplied water from tubewells nor from the dam,” he said, adding that families now had little choice but to purchase water from private tanker operators.
Mohsin Ali, who lives in Afshan Colony, said residents continued to pay monthly water charges but received supply only every other day and for a limited time, which he described as insufficient for household needs.
In Faisal Colony, along Airport Road, residents said tanker operators were charging high prices while regular water supply remained unreliable. Some also questioned government spending priorities, saying basic services such as water supply should receive greater attention.
Officials acknowledged that demand had outpaced available supply.
According to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, the existing number of tubewells is insufficient to meet the needs of the growing population. Officials said the cantonment receives 11 million gallons of water per day from Khanpur Dam, but rapid residential expansion has increased demand while funding for new tubewells remains unavailable.
Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director Azizullah Khan said the shortage in several localities along Airport Road began after the CDA suspended water supply from tubewells installed along the Islamabad Expressway.
He said the matter had been taken up with the CDA and expressed hope that the water supply would be restored within one to two weeks.
Mr Khan also said technical teams had been formed to inspect more than 480 tubewells across the city, adding that electricity load-shedding in some areas was also affecting water distribution.
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