NUZHAT NAZAR
ISLAMABAD: The federal capital is more likely to face acute shortage of water by June 2017 as both the Simly and Khanpur dams are not capable to meet the daily water requirements of Islamabad.
The sources told Business Recorder that Simly Dam is left with 2,600 million gallons of water which will end in June and may cause a draught like situation in the federal capital.
The sources said that major reservoir of Islamabad is Simly Dam which supplies almost 90 per cent of water to the federal capital and the water stored in this dam is fed by the melting snow and natural springs of Murree hills, adding the dam had been built by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Other main sources include Rawal Dam, which provides water to Rawalpindi only, and Khanpur Dam which supplies only 8 million gallons water to Islamabad.
The recent spell of rainfall contributed in water stock, which made the water stock available till June.
Previously, 26 million gallons of water per day was supplied to the federal capital in winters and with the increase in temperature, water supply also increases accordingly, and 30 million gallons per day is supplied in summers, the source added.
However, with the change in CDA higher management, water was supplied up to 30 million gallons per day even in winters, he added.
In summers, water consumption becomes high which may lead to water scarcity, he said.
The sources further said that water supplied from tube wells will become insignificant and it will be hardly enough to meet the needs of the Parliament and Pak Secretariat.
The water recharge projects in federal capital were planned to raise the water level through rainwater harvesting and 20 different places of Islamabad were selected in this regard, but the CDA had dumped the project, he added.
The CDA previously evolved a plan for harvesting domestic and rain run-off and initiated several measures to keep water clean by not allowing activities that caused pollution in the catchment’s areas.
Rainwater harvesting is being practiced as an alternative and supplementary source of water in many parts of the region as well as at international level, and holds considerable potential in Pakistan, especially in areas receiving regular rainfall.
