KP seeks Rs64.62bn from Punjab over Murree water supply

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has sought Rs64.62 billion in what it says are outstanding dues from Punjab over water being supplied from Galiyat to Murree, saying the extraction has continued without a formal agreement and has worsened shortages in the area.

According to letters sent by the provincial government to the federal government and the Punjab government, the Murree Water Board has been drawing water from Galiyat without any formal arrangement or payment.

The KP government said about 500,000 gallons of water are being taken daily from Galiyat and transported to Murree without authorisation, adding that the practice has increased water scarcity in the region.

In its communication, the provincial government also asked the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to help facilitate an agreement between the two provinces on the matter.

The letters stated that the dues, calculated at Rs64.62 billion, have accumulated since 1947.

The KP government also called for an immediate stop to the construction of a two-million-gallon water tank by the Murree Water Board in Dunga Gali, saying the project does not have approval from the Galiyat Development Authority.

It further demanded that all natural water sources in the area be acknowledged as the property of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and transferred to the province.

Interim arrangement proposed

As part of its proposals, the KP government said that until a final agreement is reached, half of the extracted water should be reserved for Galiyat. It also said compensation for the remaining water supplied should be paid at market rates within two years.

Speaking to Geo News, Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Finance Muzammil Aslam said Punjab owed nearly Rs65 billion to the province and added that water from Galiyat had been supplied to Murree since Pakistan came into being.

He said climate change and population growth had made water shortages in Galiyat more severe, forcing the authorities to extract groundwater for local consumption at a considerable electricity cost.

Aslam further said the KP government, through the relevant federal ministry, had asked the Punjab authorities to make arrangements for alternative water sources for Murree.

The issue, as outlined by the KP government, centres on long-running water extraction from Galiyat for Murree and the province’s demand for both compensation and a formal inter-provincial mechanism to regulate future supply.