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Water table drop almost 70 feet: Alarming reduction in supply from tube wells in capital

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: An alarming reduction in water supply from tube wells to the federal capital has shocked Capital Development Authority (CDA) Water Supply Directorate.

The CDA officials noticed this development when they learnt that tube wells designed to produce 400 to 500 gallon water per minute were now producing only 40 to 50 gallons water per minute, sources told Daily Times.

Sources said tube wells could not extract water mainly because the ground water table had receded almost 70 feet. They said the water table was depleting as Islamabad’s soil was not properly absorbing rainwater ultimately going down to natural streams.

Sources said the water table depletion would result in severe water shortage, a common challenge in Potohar region. Main cause of water table depletion is a massive dependence on groundwater, they said, adding, there is no recharging of water table because of smaller percolation of rainwater.

They said the civic body needed to explore and start utilisation of surface water sources such as dams, rivers or water streams and stop sinking more tube well in the city to save ground water.

“The federal capital would have to face severe water shortage in near future as on the one hand underground water table is depleting and on the other, CDA has not added a single source of water to its exiting sources during the last several years,” they said.

Sources said the authority solely depended on rain and groundwater for water supply to urban Islamabad. The main water sources of Islamabad included Simly Dam on River Soan, Khanpur Dam on River Korang and tube wells. Presently, the civic body is supplying 60 million gallons of water daily (MGD) against requirement of 115 MGD, they added.

They said the water situation would further worsen after completion of construction work of five stars hotels, business centers and new sectors including D-12, G-13, G-12, I-14, I-15 and I-16. “Sixty percent of the total 60 MGD available water goes waste due leakage of decades old water supply lines and non-judicious use of water”, said sources.

They said the authority had shelved Ghazi Barotha water supply project when the government allocated no funds for the project in budget 2008-09 under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

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