Project delayed: No end in sight to Murree’s water shortages

Plan to pump up water from Jhelum River will take four years to materialise.

RAWALPINDI:

Though the government has decided to resume work on the stalled Murree Bulk Water Supply project, the hill station continues to face acute water shortages.

The Punjab government is supplying 0.5 million gallons to the city which needs 2.4 million gallons a day.

The issue becomes acute during summer, the peak season for tourist influx.

An official in the city district government told The Express Tribune that the administration has the capacity to supply 1.2 million gallons a day.

Currently, water is supplied to Murree after being pumped from three main water channels --- Haro, Dhar Jawa and Khani Taak. “The demand is increasing by the day but the supply is limited with three main reservoirs,” said the official.



City’s population has increased significantly over the years in addition to regular flow of tourists. The official said an estimated 500,000 million people visit Murree every summer.

After being delayed for political rivalries, the water supply project will now be completed in four years at a cost Rs7.5 billion. The amount has been allocated in the provincial budget 2014-15. When started in 2006 by the PML-Q government, the estimated cost was Rs1.975 billion.

Under the project, a 132KV grid station will be established by the Water and Power Development Authority WAPDA at Chaprian at a cost of Rs1billion. The station will power a filtration plant at Jhelum River near Kotli Satian and pump the water up the hills.

The government, which is spending billions to make Murree a tourist destination, has shown little interest in resolving the city’s water crisis.

On the other hand, the locals feel that they are suffering because of the huge influx of tourists. “Tourism should be promoted but not at the cost of locals. The government should start new water projects to end the chronic issue,” said Muhammad Nadeem, a resident of Sunny Bank locality.

Murree Traders Association President Abdul Hameed Abbasi said it is time the government took practical steps to establish new water reservoirs. He criticised the government for delaying the Murree Bulk Water Supply project for seven years.

Murree Assistant Commissioner Tahir Farooq admitted that the city is faced with water shortages. He said the government is trying to overcome the crisis.

Farooq said that 45 new water schemes have been approved by the government under the water supply project.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.