Acute water shortage hits Islooites

Islamabad: The residents of sectors G-14/4 and G-13 are facing acute water shortage because of non-availability of underground water and only 1-hour a week supply through pipelines in G-13.

There is no water supply whatsoever in Sector G-14/4 and residents have to entirely depend upon tanker water supply at costly rates.

The spokesperson for local monitoring committee said that it is the responsibility of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) to provide water to the residents but despite its efforts in the last two years, no solution is visible. Droughts and Climate Change also having an adverse impact on the situation, he said.

He said that at CDA’s end, the project to provide pipeline connectivity from Khanpur Dan via D-12 and F-13 could not be started due to non-possession of land as local people, called affectees, are resisting the laying of the pipeline. They go into litigation to press for higher rates of compensation.

Last year, FGEHA planned to adopt another alternate solution through a new pipeline from Khanpur Dam which is crossing Srinagar Highway opposite G-13 which is already providing dam water to Rawalpindi Cantonment.

After meetings and joint site visit, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board demanded Rs200 million to install one pump and overhaul RCB pumps at Sangjani to provide 0.5 MGD water from 56-inch diameter pipeline from existing chamber near CMT Workshop with 12-inches diameter connection.

The former Director-General, FGEHA, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cantonment authorities in Rawalpindi on July 9, 2020, but there seems to be no progress after the change of guard at the authority despite approved of the proposed expenditure CDA permission for thrust bore to cross the highway.