The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has revoked the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to WASA Rawalpindi for installing and operating tube wells along the Islamabad Expressway service road from Faizabad to the Koral Interchange.
The authority has also ordered the immediate closure of all tube wells covered under the revoked approval due to concerns over excessive groundwater extraction.
According to an official notification, WASA Rawalpindi was granted permission on June 10, 2022, to install 15 tube wells in the green belt along the Islamabad Expressway. However, later findings showed that the approval was issued without adequately assessing groundwater conditions in the area.
The CDA said the excessive pumping led to a significant decline in the water table. Domestic boreholes and private tube wells in nearby residential areas dried up as a result, causing severe water shortages for residents.
Residents of the affected localities lodged complaints with senior authorities and staged protests, demanding the closure of WASA-operated tube wells within Islamabad’s limits.
Taking strict notice of the matter, the competent authority ordered the withdrawal of the NOC along with all similar approvals for groundwater extraction in adjoining areas of the Islamabad Expressway.
The directive was issued by Director General Islamabad Water Sardar Khan Zimri on the instructions of the CDA Member Planning and Development. The order requires the immediate cessation of operations at all existing tube wells covered under the revoked permissions.
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