The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has formally demanded Rs64.62 billion in outstanding payments from Punjab concerning water supplied from the Galiyat region to Murree. The demand highlights unauthorized water extraction and worsening scarcity in KP.
In official correspondence addressed to both the federal government and Punjab authorities, KP stated that the Murree Water Board has been drawing approximately 500,000 gallons of water daily from Galiyat without any formal agreement or compensation. This unauthorized removal of water has further strained the already limited water resources in the area.
The provincial government called on the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to mediate and facilitate a formal agreement between the two provinces regarding water sharing. Notably, KP claims that the dues have been accumulating since 1947, reflecting a long-standing issue.
In addition, KP has requested an immediate halt to the construction of a 2-million-gallon water tank by the Murree Water Board in Dunga Gali, stating that the project lacks approval from the Galiyat Development Authority. The letters also demand official recognition of all natural water sources in Galiyat as KP’s property, with a proposal that until a final agreement is reached, half of the extracted water should remain allocated to Galiyat, while compensation for the remainder should be paid at market rates within two years.
In a significant development, Muzammil Aslam, Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Finance, emphasized that Punjab owes nearly Rs65 billion to KP. He pointed out that water from Galiyat has been supplied to Murree since Pakistan’s independence. Aslam warned that climate change and population growth have intensified water shortages in Galiyat, compelling local authorities to rely on groundwater extraction, which incurs high electricity costs.
Meanwhile, the KP government has urged Punjab, through federal channels, to arrange alternative water sources for Murree to ease the pressure on Galiyat’s resources.
