Residents of Union Council 31 in Rawalpindi staged a protest after the area’s main tube well, located in front of the Quba Mosque, remained out of service for a week, leaving hundreds without municipal water. The demonstration was led by the Citizen Action Committee Rawalpindi, with community leaders accusing WASA of negligence and delayed repairs.
Zaheer Ahmed Awan, chairman of the Citizen Action Committee, told the crowd that despite regular monthly billing, WASA has failed to provide the basic service of water supply. He said families have been forced to buy water from private tankers at steep rates and travel to distant points to fill containers.
Local residents said mosques in the area are also affected, with reports that a WASA tanker charged up to one thousand rupees to supply water to a mosque. The prolonged breakdown has added pressure on households and community institutions that rely on the central tube well.
The protesters demanded immediate restoration of the tube well and urged the Punjab chief minister to take notice of the UC31 water shortage. They warned that if the tube well was not repaired by tomorrow, citizens would mount a sit-in outside the WASA office to press their demands.
The Citizen Action Committee and neighbourhood representatives also called for the suspension of the WASA managing director, describing the failure to restore supply as a result of poor management. They asked provincial authorities to order rapid repairs and ensure regular water provision until a long-term solution is implemented.
The protest remained peaceful but determined, reflecting growing frustration in Rawalpindi communities when essential services are interrupted despite continued billing. Residents said they expect swift action to end the UC31 water shortage and prevent similar outages in future.
