The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in Rawalpindi has declared a drought emergency in the city due to the ongoing drought conditions.

If it does not rain in February and March, the water crisis would worsen, according to Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has also forecasted low rainfall.

The WASA managing director stated that the continuous increase in population and commercial activities was “depleting water reserves,” making it difficult to distribute available water amid the drought.

He added that to encourage the public to use water sparingly, an awareness campaign has been launched.

He further explained that the drought has affected reservoirs and underground water supplies, with a significant decrease in both water demand and supply. “The daily water demand in the city is 68 million gallons while only 51 million gallons are available, sourced from Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam, and tube wells.”

The groundwater level has dropped to 700 feet, Ashraf said and added that strict action would be taken against “unnecessary water use.” So far, two citizens have been fined for water wastage.

He appealed to citizens to reduce their water consumption and cooperate fully with WASA. Ashraf added that water supply would remain suspended until February 22 because of maintenance work at Khanpur Dam.