ISLAMABAD: The city managers have been struggling to meet the residents’ basic needs, including sufficient water supply as the population of Islamabad has surged from 800,000 to over two million people since 2008.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been unable to meet the daily water needs of the city due to a shortage in routine supply.
As a result, residents are forced to purchase water from private operators. The available water resources are falling short of meeting the daily needs of the residents, especially during the summer season, as the population has grown to 150% during the last 15 years.
Islamabad’s main water sources are Simli and Khanpur dams, which depend on rainfall and melted snow in catchment areas.
However, the CDA had neglected this issue for decades, and no new sources of water have been explored since the construction of the Khanpur dam in the 1990s.
Experts warn that if this situation continues, Pakistan will soon become a water-scarce country.
To address the issue, the CDA has recommended changes in existing bylaws, proposing the construction of recharge wells for rainwater harvesting to replenish the city’s groundwater resource.
The suggested amendments would make it mandatory for all homeowners to construct recharge wells alongside already constructed water tanks.
This would ensure water storage and recharge the water table, helping to reduce the depletion rate.
However, experts believe that solely depending on rainwater harvesting or constructing recharge wells is not enough. There is a dire need to change the water usage habits of people.
According to a water expert, the groundwater level in Islamabad has gone down from 50 feet to 500 to 600 feet since the city was built.
This has given rise to the rapid growth of tanker mafias who exploit needy people by charging exorbitant amounts for water.
Many have to wait for hours for water, while others get ample water for activities such as floor cleaning, car washing, and gardening, which is not justified.
The CDA Deputy Director General (Water) Sardar Khan Zimri acknowledged the situation’s gravity and proposed amendments to the bylaws.
He also stated that charging those who consume water rampantly at the same rate as those who use less water can help reduce wastage.
This discriminatory approach needs to be shunned to facilitate consumers across the board. Unless urgent measures are taken, Islamabad will continue to face a severe water crisis, and Pakistan will slip into the category of water-scarce countries.
I have personally asked workers who wash the entire driveways till the streets and little streams form all the way on main roads to stop doing that. They are wasting precious water. Ignorant uneducated in water resourcing Pakistanis are a very careless nation. And can only learn when they start paying for every drop.
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CDA is responsible for creating all the mess in Islamabad. Water crisis is looming and CDA wants to create bigger crisis through their expansion plans. Recharging aquifer without proper SOPs and guidelines would be another disaster, contaminating ground water.
There is a significant water issue in G-15 Islamabad, and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is not resolving the problem. They claim that G-15 is not their sector and underground water in G-15 has been depleted. Society and CDA just playing with residents but unfortunately residents are sleeping.
CDA should stop all construction activities in Islamabad. No new NOC to any Housing Society should be issued until they don’t have enough resources (Electricity, Water, Gas, Telephone/Internet…etc) for current residential areas. Unfortunately mega concrete structures are being developed without realising that we don’t have resources for current residential areas. New Dams should be immediately constructed without any further delay.
We appreciate CDA at least they realized the severity of the water shortage in Islamabad. The first step to amend the by-laws is a good step but it is not sufficient. They can think over the following few actions too in addition to rainwater harvesting at the residential level:
1. Amend the laws and direct all Masajid in Islamabad to build an underground tank and drop all Woodu and bathroom water into that underground tank. The use of this water should be for the supply of water to plants in parks and plants in public places in that sector through CDA tankers.
2. Start an awareness campaign in all schools and colleges/universities and Masjids on; Importance of water savings, harvesting and wise utilization. If we don’t care what will be the consequences and what Islam teaches us about water savings and wise utilization?
3. The most important is to start the long waiting and proposed water supply project from Ghazi Brootha canal or from the Indus River. This is the only solution for Islamabad and Rawalpindi habitats. I have more suggestions on how we can engage the social sector and community to support CDA for water preservation, harvesting and utiliozation.
You are 100% right Only solution is Ghazi Barotha because underground water is almost depleted. CDA (Capital Development Authority) only talks about its own sectors, whereas there are 30 plus cooperative societies in Islamabad which have been established under a law and follow all the rules of CDA. For example, G-15 Islamabad where water has been depleted, but CDA does not pay any attention to their issues. They only talk about their Sectors instead of whole Islamabad.
Until or unless educational institutions are involved to educate the masses through youth involvement no effort will be fruitful. All Pakistan school management association (APPSMA) and Baghbala Agro Tourism and Agronomy Resort BATAR offers support to combat this impending natural disaster.
I live in I-14/2. No water supply from CDA only people who has connections get it from CDA tanker service while we have to go for a private tanker whose rates change every other day. Atleast give us drinking water and install water filters for each sector.
Ask all the sectors to make a water reacharge pond. They should direct all the rain water into those ponds rather than throwing it in the nullahs.
Ghazi brotha project is essential for isb/ Rwp , that can reduce the scarcity of water shortage.
But CDA should be directly conveyed to federal government to take immediately measurements for his issue , otherwise it will be the same as the Karachi water crisis problem
I live in sector G 8/2, next to my house there’s a Government building, with five floors. It’s been three months or little more, there’s a water leak in the main drinking water of CDA. Many times I’ve tried to lodge a complaint with CDA concerning department for the repair of this leak. CDA complaint receiver officer on the other side of the phone asked me if I’m living in the same building, I told him no I live next to this building and the answer of this officer is if I’m not the resident of this building then why are you concerned of this problem, please stay out of this and don’t bother to contact us.
Now my question to CDA is being a loyal and concern citizen of Pakistan is a crime, could anyone in CDA please explain?