Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Water crisis has deepened in the federal capital owing to slackness and negligence of Capital Development Authority (CDA) in launching any action against rampant illegal boring, water thieves, illegal tube wells and mushrooming illegal water connections in every sector of the federal capital.

The citizens have been forced to go for illegal boring in the wake of acute shortage of water and ever-dwindling supply of water in the sectors. Due to 60,000 cases of illegal boring, level of underground water has plunged further in the capital city. Over 220 million gallon water is required daily to cater to the need of over two million population of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad while only 90 million gallon water is available with civic body to supply to citizens. 40 percent of the available water is stolen. The underground level of water has dropped by 40 feet owing to existence of more than 60,000 illegal water boring.

A resident Bilal Ahmad told Daily Times that no preparations have been made by the CDA to overcome water shortage during the holy month of Ramadan in the present year and this inattention on the part of this civic body can create aggravate water crisis for the people. CDA has not conducted any operation against fake and illegal water connections in the capital.

On the condition of anonymity, Water Directorate told Daily Times that influential people have installed illegal connections and CDA is unable to take any action against them. Notices were sent to water pilferers once but it made no difference. The number of water thieves has risen to 16,000. According to CDA record, 6,674 illegal water connections are installed in the federal capital and water is being stolen through these connections. As many as 2,172 illegal water connections are operating in sector I10, 793 in sector I8, 1,000 in Hummack, 347 in posh sectors of F and G and 221 connections in other sectors. CDA record reveals that over 1,000 illegal tube wells are functioning in the capital city and no action has been taken against them.

According to Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) report released one year before, 28 out of 33 filtration plants installed by CDA to supply potable water to citizens in the federal capital are supplying polluted water, which is giving rise to countless water borne diseases.

Water sample from 11 filtration plants were tested in CDA laboratory on February, 25. According to CDA laboratory report, seven out of 11 filtration plants are providing contaminated water. Dirty, brackish, polluted and unsafe water is being supplied from filtration plants to the residents of Ministers Enclave, G8/1, Margalla Town, I9/4, F9 Park, F10/1 and G9/2, said CDA report. Only two filtration plants of sector G9/2 and filtration plants of G10 and I10/2 are providing clean and safe water.

A report evolved at international level had disclosed that Pakistan suffers loss of 16 billion dollars every year in the wastage of water. Due to lack of interest by the respective institutions, no strategy is devised to rein in this enormous wastage of water. The nation has to bear the brunt of this heavy wastage of water every year.

PIMS Spokesman Dr Waseem Khawaja told Daily Times that fatal epidemics and diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A and E and typhoid, water borne diseases and gastroenteritis are caused by filthy, polluted and septic water. . CDA Member Engineering Shahid Sohail told Daily Times that the drive has been stared against fake water connections and water pilferers. Fake connections have been removed from sector I9 and I10 in the first phase and operation is continuing against all water pilferers. Filtration plants are providing clean drinking water while water supply from seven filtration plants was declared unpleasant for health by CDA laboratory in its report. These filtration plants were rechecked by PCRWR in the month of March and were cleared during rechecking.

CDA spokesman told Daily Times that as per PCRWR March 11 report, clean drinking water is being supplied from the filtration plants. Water is stolen at large scale from the capital city and operation is underway against water thieves. He said that some connections out of 6,674 fake connections have been disconnected and operation is being carried out against the remaining connections.