ISLAMABAD – Capital city is facing acute water shortage as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has so far failed to supply 150 million gallons per day (MGD) to meet the daily needs of over one million consumers.
“CDA only has the capacity to supply 60 MGD, 40 percent of which goes to waste because of outdated supply lines. The wastage is equivalent to the total storage of Simly Dam,” a CDA senior official confided to Pakistan Today.
He said the federal government had so far provided no funds to CDA for renovation and up-gradation of existing supply lines, and to build Ghazi Barotha Water Supply Project, which envisaged connecting the federal capital through a 49-kilomter water pipeline under the Public Sector Development Project (PSDP).
“The Planning Commission has yet not approved the PC-1 of CDA that two years ago required Rs 11 billion for renovation and up-gradation of outdated supply lines in order to check wastage of water,” he added. PC-1, he said, envisaged hiring foreign firms capable of using ‘no digging technology (NDT).’
“Replacement of water supply network in a developed city like Islamabad is not so easy, therefore, CDA decided to give the project to the firms having expertise in NDT,” he added. The official said under Islamabad’s master plan, CDA was supposed to upgrade water supply network after every ten years, but it had failed to do so.
“That has created a crisis-like situation as the population of the federal capital has crossed over 1 million,” said the official. He said PC-1 envisaged installation of water meters in order to check wastage. The plan, he said, also ensured 24-hour water supply.
The official said that originally CDA had planned to upgrade only the water supply system in the city by starting the project in 2009, and completing it in 2012 on Engineering Planning and Construction (EPC) basis.
“But now they have changed the plan, and included purgation of sewage system. Islamabad’s existing sources of water include Simly Dam, Khanpur Dam and tube wells,” said the official.
