ISLAMABAD, May 30: Water shortage in I sector has become acute as most of the residents have not been receiving the precious commodity for the last one week.
Besides, complaints for the water tanker have increased from 800 to 1,400. The situation has come to such an extent that people have started queuing up before midnight outside CDA complaint centre in I-9, which has only 20 water tankers. On the other hand the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is blaming Wapda and scarce rain for water shortage.
For residents of I-8, I-9 and I-10 water has become a rare commodity as they could not even get it through CDA’s water tanker service despite standing in queues almost throughout the night. The complaint centre starts receiving complaints from morning.
Khalid Mehmood, a resident of sector I-9, said he had been trying to get water for the last many days but without success. He said they did not have water even for the ablution. “I reach the tanker point before midnight every day but even than I cannot get water. The officials of water tanker service points give priority to VIPs,” he said.
Kashif Naveed, a resident of I-8, said last week the complainants beat up a driver of a tanker and injured him because he was allegedly providing water out of turn.
Munir Ahmed, a resident of I-10, said last summer they used to get water on alternate days but now the supply had been suspended for the last one week.
An officer of the CDA on condition of anonymity said: “Previously we had around 40 water tankers and used to get 800 complaints, but now the ratio is 20:1,400”.
Director-General (DG) Water Management, CDA, Sanaullah Aman told Dawn that the CDA had been receiving only 62MGD water against the requirement of 200MGD.
“In sectors of I series, power loadshedding is the main impeding factor in water supply as we provide commodity there from tubewells,” he said.
“I am trying to get some water from the quota of sector G-10 through pipeline and also increase the number of water tankers which will ultimately address the problem,” he added.
