PESHAWAR, March 8: The NWFP government has decided to build reservoirs for storage of water coming from springs of the Abbottabad district’s Galyat area to meet the growing demand of the local population.

Directives to this effect were issued at a recent meeting held here. This is likely to spark another controversy between the next governments of the NWFP and Punjab because the project will reduce the quantum of water being supplied from the same sources to the Murree town.

The Galyat Development Authority (GDA) had approached the provincial government for taking necessary steps to initiate water supply schemes in the Galyat area, where existing water sources have either dried up or their yield has fallen drastically. The 2005 earthquake had also affected the water sources, officials said.

The GDA, said the officials, had expressed the apprehension that in the absence of an adequate supply of drinking water, the local population would be forced to migrate to other areas and tourism potential of the area would be diminished.

They said the GDA director-general had been directed to design a project for constructing water reservoirs, which would be filled through water from the same sources, from where it would be supplied to local people.

They said execution of the project would reduce the volume of water currently supplied to Murree.

Water supply has been a crucial issue of Galyat lingering since long because most of water from the existing sources is being supplied to Murree under an agreement.

Recently, the officials said, the Punjab government had tried twice to increase water supply from these sources to Murree by laying another pipeline, but it could not be done because of concerns of the NWFP.

The Punjab government claims that water supply from these sources, which fell in the territorial jurisdiction of the NWFP, to Murree was protected under an agreement signed in 1962 between the Hazara Hill Tract Improvement Trust and the Joint Water Board Murree.

Under the agreement, 10 per cent of water or a minimum of 15,000 gallons per day was decided as a share of the Galyat area.

Initially, a six-inch diameter pipeline was laid from Doonga Gali to Murree and in 1965 another eight-inch diameter pipeline was laid parallel to the existing line. There were also two storage tanks of 3 million and 3.2 million gallons at Doonga Gali.

The Punjab government’s stance was that there was a general shortage of water in Murree and if the water scarcity was not overcome tourists would stop visiting the area, the officials said.

The NWFP government has taken up the matter at the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee, challenging validity of the old agreement.

The Frontier government claims that springs and use of water in the area are not included in the federal legislative list as provided in the Constitution, because these springs and water sources of the Galyat area of the NWFP are a provincial subject.

It has pleaded that either supply of water to Murree be terminated or the share be rationalised, for which payment should be made.

The NWFP government maintains that the water demand of the people of the Galyat area should be met from the Doonga Gali spring and if surplus water is available only then it should be supplied to Murree, according to the officials.