Daily Times

It was the week when ministry of Agriculture and Food Security came alive to the threat of climate change which appeared in the form a prolonged drought severely affecting Potohar region where one fourth of wheat is produced. No rains, no wheat sowing season in Potohar.

After it had been confirmed that the peanut crop had witnessed huge losses, up to 50%, due to low moisture and high temperature, the ministry wrote a letter to the provinces to report it back within a week the impact of drought on food production.

Bureaucracy appeared to be out of inertia in the last week of December as Cabinet Division summoned meeting of Climate Change and Capital Development secretaries to review progress on the implementation of the Islamabad High Court’s Environmental Commission report of October 2015.

The 14-member environmental commission was constituted by Justice Athar Minallahin early 2015 to investigate into the causes of pollution in the federal capital. After listening to stakeholders, the commission submitted its report in October the same year.

Major damage to the streams was done in Zone III of the Capital, the area that runs along the Margallas. Top hill hotels and restaurants and housing societies polluted the streams that once used to host fish and provided clean drinking water to downstream communities. Industrial area also played it own part in making matters worse for the low regions. That the capital city has no waste management system ultimately pollutes water other than air.

The Cabinet Division was quick to form an implementation committee by next month taking the ministries of Climate Change and Capital and Administrative Division onboard. Why the matter of restoring Islamabad’s environment went un-attended, remains a mystery, for the delay remains to be justified.

When the concerned authorities slept on the report a lot of waste water from restaurants at the top hill Damn-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa and many of the housing societies alongside Margalla Hills, flowed down the drain Nullah Lai — thanks to lethargic attitude of the authorities to environment.

Oh, yes there was another move. The environment Protection Authority got a boost in December as well. Of course it has powers to stop polluters from the nasty things they are doing with the environment of the country. There are lots of institutions with expertise on environment, biodiversity and water reclamation. Why not to put them in use to make Islamabad clean, was the question on the mind of DG Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) as she attentively listened to scientists and researchers telling her that the streams could be rehabilitated to the extent that their waters could host fish.

Actually, National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), completed a model project, using indigenously available plants to reclaim the wastewater from its residential area and the nearby Chak Shahzad and transformed huge swath of barren land into green fields. This project is not only answer to the woes of Isloos but also the people of every town and regions in Islamabad.

If you can’t construct dams and build water reservoirs, you can reclaim wastewater (per day 200 million gallons is being released by households across Pakistan) to produce vegetables and rare fish for the consumption of growing population. Rs 14 billion being spent on waterborne diseases can be saved other than allowing waterways to make aquatic life grow.

Soil, air and water stands contaminated. When we are out of deep slumber, let us know how carefree use of pesticides has infected our food chain with poison. No country is ready to buy our wheat rotting in godowns and in open fields. Same is the case with fruits and vegetables. We severely lag behind on residual accounts.

While we were so much obsessed with our strategic location and role in international balance of power, the most damage we did to ourselves on environmental front. Note it that we have got the entire ecosystem disturbed to the point that we need a whole decade to restore it, that too if we undertake this job by dedicating our whole institutional resources to this end.

Meeting the goal of reclaiming Margalla streams needs a deadline when the implementation committee on IHC Environmental Commission meets in January. There is no dearth of required data or expertise to reclaim wastewater, for Islamabad is that rich in research bodies and institutions. Scientist’s believe that it is possible. If Pak-EPA is that sure it can make polluters pay, even through their noses, National Institute of Bio-remediation (NIB) can do wonders — it has already done it for the barren lands of NARC!

Industrialists and housing societies need to be brought on straight path. They have every right to make their concerns grow and expand but it is crime to pollute streams and waterways. Plants, animals, birds and human being, all are suffering due to their negligence towards environmental laws. Provincial governments need to issue special directives to their Deputy Commissioners to not let the wastewater released to open spaces or waterways.

The writer is an Islamabad-based veteran journalist and an independent researcher. He can be reached on Twitter @riazmissen