Pakistan fears water crisis with dam levels dropping sharply

Islamabad, May 1 (IANS) Pakistan is gearing up to face a major water crisis as a sharp decline has been witnessed in the levels at its three major dams over the past few days. Rawal, Simly and Khanpur dams, which supply water to capital Islamabad, have seen a sharp decline in water levels due to the lack of ample rainfall.

In Rawalpindi, the water levels have fallen to under 700 feet, triggering a widespread shortage of water across the city. The shortage has given a boost to the earnings of those operating private water tankers, who are distributing water in different localities of the city at much higher rates.

Pakistan's National Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Centre (NDMC-EWC) has revealed that the storage capacity of Rawal Dam is 1,752 feet with the dead level being 1,708 feet. The current water level of Rawal Dam is 1,741 feet, which is declining continuously. Moreover, Simly Dam, which exclusively supplies water to the country's capital and has a capacity of 2,315 feet with the dead level being 2,233 feet has the current water level at 2,263 feet.

Khanpur Dam in Abbottabad district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has a capacity of 1,982 feet and dead level of 1,910 feet. Its current level stands at 1,937.58 feet.

"There is currently enough water in the dams to meet the needs of the twin cities for at least 40 to 45 days. If heavy rainfall does not occur within the next 10 to 15 days, water levels are expected to fall drastically, also due to evaporation and under intense heat," said an official of NDMC-EWC.

The Punjab provincial government's Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has said that a Water Control Plan has been implemented to manage the situation.

"Under the Water Control Plan, a crackdown has been launched against water theft and defaulters of water bills. It also bans using pipelines to water gardens, driveways, or washing cars. "Car wash stations have been told to install water recycling systems," said WASA spokesperson.

Experts and officials have urged that while hundreds of tube wells are being operated across the country, they are no longer a workable long-term solution.

"With changing climate patterns, tube wells are no longer a viable long-term solution and dam water is essential," said officials.

--IANS

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