ISLAMABAD: After a brief respite, the capital`s residents are once again facing a water shortage due to the failure of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to permanently resolve the issue.

The currentspellis beingattributed toa reduction in the water level at Simly Dam due to the lack of rainfall for over a month.

In response to the decreased water level, the MCI and CDA have reduced and rationed the supply of water from the dam, causing the shortage.

The CDA chairman, Islamabad MayorSheikh Ansar Aziz, said: `We are trying to cope with the situation.

`The problem started recently when authorities at the dam which deal with water supply had reduced our supply due to the declining level of water in the dam,` he explained.

According to a source in the water directorate, 517 complaints were lodged on Wednesday by complaints seel(ing water tankers.

The source said nearly all of Islamabad is facing a shortage among the complaints received on Wednesday, 50 were received from F-8, 25 from F-10 and 27 from I-9.

G-10 is the worst affected, with 177 complaints from residents of the sector, followed by 87 complaints from I-10. He said more than 400 complaints were addressed and residents were supplied water from water tankers.

`We are surprised that the water crisis started in the winter, when it is normal to face such shortages in the summer,` said G-9/4 resident Nasir Hussain. `There is nodifference between the CDA and the newly elected local government system both are insensitive towards residents of the capital,` he added.

He said they were previously receiving a supply of water twice a week, which was sufficient to fill their water tank. He said the supply had been reduced in quantity, and was now only received once a week.

Residents of Islamabad, particularly those living in the I and G sectors, face an acute shortage of water during the summer. According to CDA records, the city`s 2.2 million residents demand 211 million gallons a day, but receive 75 million gallons a day.

On paper, Islamabad received a major portion of its water from Simply Dam 48pc of its water is supplied from there, followed by 12pc from Khanpur Dam, 35pc from tube wells and the remaining 5pc from water sources such as Shahdara, Korang, Noorpur and Saidpur.

But on the ground, the situation is different. The conduction line from Simly Dam, which was laid down in the 60s, leaks atvarious points, and it appears the MCI and CDA are not taking any measures to repair the leaks and conserve water.

More than 50 out of a total 191 tube wells which were meet the requirements of sectors H-8, I-8, I-11 and the city`s model villagers have been inoperative for years, due to various faults.

Water conduction from Indus River The federal government has been working on a project to conduct water from the Indus River System from Tarbela Dam for Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Under this project, both cities will be provided 100 gallons of water a day each.

The approximate cost of the project, according to a PC-1 prepared in 2006, is Rs37 billion, which CDA officials estimate would have increased to over Rs50 billion by now.

During the first MCI session, Mayor Aziz said the project was a priority, but no significant outcome in this regard has been seen so far.