Residents of Union Council 31, Mohalla Mahmood Ali Shah, staged a forceful protest against the Water and Sanitation Agency after a week-long suspension of supply, chanting slogans and demanding immediate restoration of services and the suspension of the WASA Managing Director.
Locals say the water outage followed a burnt-out tube well motor and accused WASA of installing substandard equipment that breaks down frequently. The protesters argued that recurring failures of tube well motors have made reliable water supply impossible in many parts of the city.
Community members also complained that WASA continues to collect water bills despite the prolonged disruption, calling the practice unacceptable and evidence of poor planning. They said similar complaints about WASA water disruptions are being reported across multiple union councils in Rawalpindi.
Zaheer Ahmed Awan, chairman of the Citizen Action Committee, told the gathering that residents are enduring severe hardship because of what he described as WASA’s inefficiency, while elected representatives remain largely silent. He said incidents of tube well motors burning out have become routine in dozens of union councils, a situation he blamed on the installation of low-quality machinery.
Awan announced a coordinated protest movement targeting the WASA Managing Director and other officials, saying demonstrations will be held daily in different union councils until responsible officials are suspended and corrective measures are implemented. The campaign, he warned, will expand if authorities do not act promptly.
Residents have urged the Chief Minister of Punjab to take immediate notice, ensure restoration of supply and initiate accountability measures against those responsible. For now, the community is maintaining pressure through public demonstrations while demanding durable solutions to the ongoing WASA water crisis.
