ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Advocate General of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in a suo motu case relating to the supply of contaminated water from the Khanpur dam.
While hearing the case, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) lawyer Hasan Raza informed a Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court that Khanpur dam is the only source of water for around five million people.
“However, pollution at the dam has increased due to increasing number of boats operating in the reservoir,” he told the bench headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan.
According to the lawyer, previously only 20 boats operated on the dam, but the number has now reached 326 while six recreation centers have also been established along the reservoir.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail observed that since the PHA department also exists, there should be a definite policy regarding this issue. Justice Shakeel Ahmad observed that the dam administration has the power to ban motorboats, which are apparently the cause of the contamination.
Justice Aamer Farooq asked how these boats were being operated without proper authorization.
The WAPDA lawyer said a petition was filed before a magistrate, but the situation worsened after Khanpur was granted tehsil status. When Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan asked for an alternative solution, WAPDA’s lawyer suggested that the use of electric boats could help eliminate pollution.
The court then adjourned the hearing indefinitely. Khanpur Dam is located on the Haro River in Khanpur tehsil of Haripur district of KP, approximately 50 km from Islamabad.
It forms Khanpur Lake, a reservoir that supplies drinking water to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
