ISLAMABAD: Local government elected representatives, civil society activists, students and citizens including women of Ghazi Tehsil have joined hands to resist water supply project to twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi through Ghazi Barotha Water Supply Project (GBWSP). A committee, headed by a local town nazim, has also been formed to organise the movement with an aim to ensure equitable and indiscriminative drinking water supply to the residents of Ghazi Tehsil. The decision was taken during a consultation meeting organised by the Sungi Development Foundation at Ghazi Tehsil of Haripur. The government has chalked out an integrated water supply scheme of GBWSP for twin cities with uniform basis of consumption of 60 gallons per capita per day of water. The government has also directed Wapda and the CDA to come up with a comprehensive report to determine the suitable sites for off-take of drinking water for twin cities from Tarbela Dam reservoir or Ghazi Pond. According to a news release issued by Sungi, speakers were of the view that majority population of Ghazi Tehsil of district Haripur were suffering from severe drinking water scarcity, despite the fact that the town was situated nearby country's largest reservoir-Tarbela Dam

and Ghazi Barotha Water Channel. On the other hand, they said the government had devised a plan to supply bulk water to twin cities by taking the urban centered development approach. The meeting was attended by Tariq Iqbal, UC Nazim KhairBara, Habib Khan, UC Nazim Kazipur, tehsil councillors Javed Gill, Nazkat Khan and others, zonal incharge Sungi, Nadir Shah and Shaur Iqbal, representatives of Hashar organisation, Aurat Foundation and of concern village committees. Speaking on the occasion, speakers pointed out that a filtration plant under Clean Drinking Water Initiative (CDWI) was installed last year but it never became operational since than.