Water scarcity in capital: CDA fails to get the nod from government for two projects

Water scarcity in Islamabad remains an unresolved issue due to the failure of capital development authority (CDA) to get federal government's approval for its two plans designed to overcome the problem. Islamabad is facing a shortage of 29 million gallons per day (MGD) of water, as presently, total water supply to the city stands at 86 MGD while its demand is 115 MGD, informed sources in CDA told Business Recorder on Friday.
They said the authority proposed two separate plans to address increasing water scarcity in Islamabad: water supply from Ghazi Barotha and construction of six small dams in the capital. However, the civic body failed to acquire funds from the federal government for these two projects and thus is still reliant on rainfall to replenish Simli Dam and Khanpur Dam to provide drinking water to Islamabad.
They said that about a decade back, Ghazi Barotha Water Supply Scheme, costing Rs 47 billion, was to be launched to bring water to Islamabad from Ghazi Barotha. PC-1 of the project was prepared but it remained on papers only and nothing solid became visible on the ground.
Under the plan, a 60-kilometer long pipeline was to be laid to bring water from Ghazi Barotha to the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, adding that the project would be completed in three phases. If this project were not approved, current water crisis in the city would further exacerbate. Sources said that besides financial problems, there are some bottlenecks in execution of water supply project; the government is ready to allocate funds and give the go ahead to CDA and Wapda, but it is subject to No Objection Certificate (NOC) from all provinces.
CDA sources revealed that Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had earlier approved the project in principle and informed the Planning Commission that the provision of water to twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi would not technically affect water shares of the provinces. If provinces agreed, the twin cities would receive some 200MGD from River Indus under GBWSP.
The second plan to cater to the water shortage was to construct six small dams, but it is still a proposal. The CDA had a plan to construct these dams in the capital to address water scarcity problem faced by the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, CDA sources said. They said that the feasibility report of the projects is available and the projects would be initiated after preparation of PC-I and allocation of funds.
They further said that Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica), after a thorough study, pointed out seven potential sites for small dams to meet future water needs of twin cities. Currently, there are 188 tube-wells in Islamabad to meet the water requirements of the capital but water table is depleting fast.
Though there is 1200mm rainfall every year but its percolation, also, is less than 10 per cent and ground water aquifer is depleting steeply, and recharging remains three to six inches during monsoons that is less than the ratio of abstraction. CDA said it is now making efforts for rehabilitation of the existing water supply system within the city and harvest rainwater to address the requirements of gardening, adding that to stop water wastage, CDA has introduced system of penalties, but it has not yet been fruitful.