Islamabad, 23, Apr, 2025: Water Shortage in the capital is reaching alarming levels as Islamabad’s primary civic body grapples with critical infrastructure failures and financial hurdles.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is struggling to maintain water supply across major sectors, raising public health and service disruption concerns.
At the core of this growing water shortage is a shrinking chlorine reserve. Reports suggest the CDA’s Water Supply Directorate is left with just a month’s chlorine supply.
With no new stock on the horizon owing to unpaid dues for a supply contract issued last June contractors have refused further deliveries.
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The absence of chlorine, essential for safe drinking water, threatens to completely halt supply services in the near future.
The CDA’s water shortage woes are further compounded by widespread system failures. Of the 300 tube wells across the city, only 95 remain functional.
The rest are either in disrepair or entirely out of service. Authorities have reportedly failed to clear more than Rs100 million in outstanding maintenance payments over the past year, making repair and restoration nearly impossible.
Complicating the issue, the city’s water tanker fleet is also in dire condition. Only 7 out of 32 tankers are currently in working order, with 2 assigned exclusively for VIP service.
Despite receiving nearly 1,000 daily complaints, the CDA remains unable to meet emergency water requests. Additionally, over Rs50 million in pending payments to repair contractors has stalled any efforts to restore the damaged fleet.
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The water shortage is being acutely felt in sectors such as I-8, I-9, I-10, F-6 through F-10, G-6 through G-11, as well as Model Village, Margalla Town, Humak Town, and Rawal Town.
Many residents now receive water only once every three days, with short-term service contracts expired and no long-term solution in sight.
Without urgent intervention both financial and administrative Islamabad faces a looming public health and infrastructure disaster, one drop at a time.
