With low water levels at dams supplying drinking water to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, millions of people are banking on efficient water management in 2002 in order to avoid the previous year's shortages. The main dams supplying drinking water to the populous Punjab province are the Simli dam, situated 15 km from the capital, the Khanpur dam, 60 km northwest of Islamabad and the Rawal dam in the capital. "There are serious concerns over the water levels of these dams," section officer at Pakistan's Ministry of Water and Power, Kamran Farooq Ansari said. "We have heard that farmers have been protesting in the Khanpur area as the water supply there is used for watering citrus orchards," he explained. Last year the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was forced to limit water supplies to households across the city and officials say they cannot rule out curbs this year.

Source: IRIN, 1 Jul 2002