Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Despite ban by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the unabated motor boating in Rawal Lake is continue posing serious threat to the lives of visitors besides polluting water.

The boat operators have set up small boat-yards at Lake View Park’s visitors’ point after breaking the park’s fences while the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has turned blind eye toward the matter.

Dozens of boats including motor, paddle and rowboats can be seen in Rawal Lake without provision of life jackets to the visitors and safety measures, posing serious threat to the lives.

“It seems that departments concerned including CDA and ICT administration were waiting for a tragedy to strike” said tourists while talking to Daily Times. They said the mafia had broken walls and fences around the Lake View Park to set up boat-yards, which interrupting the visitors movement besides severely damaging the beauty of most renowned and revenue generating park.

Bilal, a boat operator said that he had purchased a point here against Rs 100,000 from another person. He said the sale of points on Lake View Park was a routine matter.

Bilal claimed that the boat operators were used to pay Rs 1500 to the employees of department concerned as bribe per week against each motorboat.

He said motorboat attract much visitors as compare to the paddle or rowboats to make a tour of lake. They also provide life jackets to the visitors if they demand, he added.

Jamal Ali, a visitor said that the boats used for rowing in the lake are in very terrible condition and majority of boats operators are inexperienced and underage.

He said that there were about 200 boats in the lake being operated without life jackets and the condition of boats was also very poor.

The CDA and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration have apparently turned a blind eye to the illegal activity, he added.

When contacted CDA Member Environment Wing, Sanaullah Aman said that the department would take stern action to stop this illegal practice.

When asked that why could CDA not registered FIRs against the persons who set up boat points after damaging park’s property, he said in light tune that the cases would also be registered against the violators.

However, the ICT Administration’s Assistant Commissioner Secretariat, Captain (R) Waqas Rashid said the department had confiscated about 23 engines of motorboats and registered cases against seven people during last six month in a bid to stop this practice.

He said most of the motorboat operators are use to disappear along their boats as soon as the department raid Rawal Lake. He admitted that in accordance of the orders of apex court, all kind of boating is banned in Rawal Lake, however, saying that it was the responsibility of Small Dams Division to stop this exercise.

Waqas Rashid said that ICT administration has also imposed section 144 in Rawal Lake to stop swimming and illegal boating. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official said that the boats were a major source of pollution in the lake, and criticized the capital administration for not enforcing the ban.

He said motor-boating in Rawal Lake was posing serious threats to the health of people besides threat to water life.

“It’s not just oil residues released from the engines of the motorboats; it shakes up the sediments at the bottom of the lake in shallow areas. Stirring up sediments decreases water quality by adding more particles”, he said.

It may be mention here that in 2010, the Supreme Court had ordered a ban on motorboats and water scooters in the Rawal Lake. The motorized boats were polluting water supplied by the lake for human consumption.

Diesel emissions, leaked oil and the water-churning action of the motorized boats all threatened the quality of the lake’s drinking water.