Rawalpindi: The district administration has approved a Rs500 million project to install 10 monitoring tube wells across Rawalpindi to track the rapid depletion of groundwater and determine the rate at which the water table is falling.
The monitoring wells will be installed at different locations under the supervision of water experts and equipped with underground instruments to measure groundwater levels. Monthly data will be compiled and analysed to identify periods of the year when depletion is fastest and determine the annual rate of decline.
The data will subsequently be used to develop projects aimed at replenishing groundwater and improving the sustainability of Rawalpindi’s water resources. Experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will also assist with groundwater monitoring and data analysis.
Water experts said groundwater levels in Rawalpindi, which stood at around 150 to 200 feet in the 1990s, declined to 450-500 feet in the 2000s and have now reached approximately 700-900 feet.
The continued decline has affected tube wells operated by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Municipal Corporation, cantonment boards and private entities. Wells installed between 1985 and 2000 have increasingly dried up during summer, while some installed as recently as 2020 are also being affected.
Experts noted that groundwater in Rawalpindi is found in separate underground pockets rather than a continuous layer, making the resource particularly vulnerable to depletion. They warned that continued reliance on tube wells was unsustainable and called for greater use of surface water from dams and rivers.
Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the Daducha and Chahan dams could help address Rawalpindi’s water requirements and reduce reliance on groundwater.
He also said the Punjab chief minister had approved a project for an additional steel water-supply pipeline from Rawal Dam to Rawalpindi, which would help meet the city’s growing demand for water.
Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market’s most promising opportunities.
