Punjab govt to build dam in Murree

Reservoir is estimated to cost Rs2.71 billion

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has decided to build Dhar Jawa dam to supply water to every household in Murree tehsil and help boost tourism in the area.

The dam is estimated to cost Rs2.71 billion and is included in the 2021-2022 Annual Development Programme (ADP). The dam will be built in Union Council (UC) Ghora Gali where vast forest land is available.

The government will make the area a tourist spot and build a park. The project will also include a water treatment plant and a power plant is also planned.

PTI MNA from Murree, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, told The Express Tribune that the reservoir would store rainwater which goes to waste throughout the year. He said the new dam will have boating, motorboat, bicycle boating and mini tags in which tourists will ride around.

The lawmaker said that the reservoir would be constructed in Ghora Gali area, which was a scenic site with huge trees, while the government would also plant indigenous plants of Potohar and Kohsar regions besides different fruit-bearing trees.

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The MNA said hotels, motels and rest houses would be constructed besides a double-track road for easy access. He added electronic rides for children will also be installed along with a mini jungle kingdom. He said these facilities would add another tourist spot in Murree tehsil.

Abbasi said that they would lay new and bigger pipelines to supply water to the tehsil, which would resolve the water shortage issue.

He said the height of the Dhar Jawa dam would also improve underground water levels besides expanding the catchment area of Rawal and Simli dams. The foundation of the reservoir would be laid within three months and it would be built within a year, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2021.