It is indeed troubling news that the water table in Lahore is falling fast, thanks to unsustainable and rapid urbanisation. A recently published report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) states that water table depth in the central part of the city has fallen below 40 metres and it is projected that it will drop below 70 meters in most areas by 2025. According to the report, more than 1000 tube-wells installed across the city are pumping out water daily and consequently the water table is dropping four to five feet per annum. Obviously the situation is bleak and calls for preemptive measures to avert water scarcity in the provincial metropolis.
There are a number of factors responsible for the crisis. These include non-compliance with water conservation policies, wastage of available water and rapid urbanisation without any future planning. The only source of water that replenishes the aquifer in Lahore is the River Ravi. The present situation of the river is horrific. The river has been converted into a drain as it has continuously been receiving wastewater from Shadbagh, Shahdara, Main Outfall Road, Babu Sabu (Gulshan-i-Ravi), Multan Road and Hadiara drains. The dumping of pollutants into the river has badly affected water and food quality and hence human health. In fact there is a lack of environmental consciousness and a wrong set of priorities for the government where the environment falls to the lowest level. The concerned authorities need to take prompt action to shut those channels and drains that discharge contaminated water into the river without treatment.
The second issue contributing to water scarcity is the unchecked growth of urban schemes. The Punjab government needs to understand that urban planning is a science. Rapid urbanisation requires a complete set of scientific rules and a modern approach to tackle the challenges of increasing population and its needs in big cities. Better planning is a prerequisite to deal with the challenge of rapid urbanisation. The Punjab government must follow the example of existing well planned urban cities in developed countries that are efficiently meeting the civic needs of their citizens without causing damage to the environment. Thirdly, citizens also have a role to play. They need to change their habit of wasting this natural asset. Pakistan is fast approaching the critical threshold of a chronic water shortage and decisive policy-making is needed to ward off the imminent water crisis. *