PESHAWAR – The water dispute between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has intensified after Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) has raised serious objections over an ongoing water supply project in Dunga Gali in Galiyat area.
The GDA officials wrote a letter to the Punjab authorities and urged them to immediately stop construction work being carried out without its approval in Galiyat area.
In the letter, the authority stated that construction of a water supply system intended to transport around 200,000 gallons of water the area should be halted until proper legal and administrative clearance is obtained.
The GDA further alleged that the Murree Water Board has been extracting nearly 500,000 gallons of water daily from the Galiyat region without any formal agreement or signed arrangement between the concerned institutions.
The current objections have brought to limelight the renewed administrative friction over water distribution and resource management in the ecologically sensitive Galiyat region, particularly concerning projects in Dunga Gali.
Officials expressed concern that despite an existing water shortage in the hill areas, large-scale extraction continues without regulatory approval, which they described as unauthorised use of local water resources.
The authority emphasised that all development and water-related projects within its jurisdiction must be carried out in coordination with the GDA and in line with established legal procedures.
The dispute over water resources in the region is not new. In earlier remarks made in January 2023, then GDA Director General Captain (retd) Khalid Mehmood stated that the authority had effectively secured its position in a long-standing water-related case involving supply to Murree.
He had noted that historical records dating back to 1971 were being examined to calculate usage and assess compensation, arguing that water supplied to Murree originated from areas within District Abbottabad.
He also highlighted ongoing development initiatives in the Galiyat region, including land acquisition for administrative infrastructure, tourism facilitation measures, youth skill development programmes, and efforts to promote local culture and agriculture.
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