Municipal sewage water treated by Water and Sanitation authority (WASA) has no wastewater treatment plants installed at River Ravi, whereas, garbage waste at the river is received through WASA managed drains as well as through unregulated easy dumping of waste from unregistered waste collectors. Ravi, while passing across Lahore, receives more than 650 million gallon per day untreated municipal and industrial wastewater from residents of Lahore, and industrial zones such as Quaid e Azam, Sundar, Raiwind Road, Daroghawala, Shahdara and Sheikhupura.
Pharmaceutical particles such as paracetamol, nicotine, caffeine, epilepsy and diabetes medicines were found in the river, as per a study conducted at the University of York and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.
According to the Director hydrology Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) Muhammad Mohsin Atiq, high industrial development, rapid urbanization without proper planning and continuously growing population have resulted in the degradation of water quality in the Ravi River. Atiq also claims that the river Ravi cannot be called a live river as present flow rate of the river remains 175 to 2,000 cusecs throughout the season except during the monsoon season.
One of the most feared issues in the provincial capital after smog is water poisoning, which is a major cause of ill health. According to statistics, 90% of diseases are water borne, and they account for 40% of all deaths in the country.
Revealed in a recent report of Federal Flood Commission, Pakistan is amongst the top ten countries on the globe, experiencing frequent and intense climate change of events such as floods, droughts, cyclones, heavy rains, heat waves, extremely high temperatures and the water pollution is further aggravating the already grave situation.
Speaking to Daily Times, Dr. Mujtaba Baqar, Assistant Professor at GC University Lahore said, “Though the water of Ravi is not anymore used for drinking or domestic purposes, however still its application in irrigation, livestock and fisheries is widespread, so the uptake of hazardous contents by plants, livestock and fish adversely affect the human health through transfer of hazardous compounds by human ingestion.”
Dr Baqar continues to say that with the groundwater depletion is one of the most rapidly growing concerns of Lahore. As a cheaper solution the use of surface water from Ravi is one of the most evident and cheapest solution is near future. So, there is a dire need to halt the spread of pollution to protect this historical aquatic water body but also a reserve for residents of Lahore. River Ravi isn’t alone; Pakistan’s rivers and sweet water lakes are facing the same concerns. As a result of tremendous population expansion over the last three decades, the ancient sewerage and sanitation infrastructure have been badly degraded. As a result, nearly all large cities and even towns dispose of their garbage along the rivers and canals that run through them, making it the most convenient means of waste disposal, with little to no check and balance by the authorities.
As per a study report titled “Variation in the Ravi River Water Quality,” the water quality was examined at two locations, one at upstream of Lahore and the other downstream at the Balloki headworks, from where the water is taken for irrigation, and both were determined to be extremely dangerous. This untreated toxic creek, which flows from Lahore to Chenab and is used for agriculture and drinking, finally empties into the Indus.
India shares some of the blame for diverting drains to Ravi, however, the neighbor too is fighting the same inactive regulatory bodies. In 2020, the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) launched the Ravi River Front Urban Development (RRFUD) project. According to the Chief Executive Officer Ravi Urban Development Authority (CEO, RUDA) Imran Amin, Ravi City will be an eco-friendly fortress of technological advancements. Be it energy generation, economic activity, research & development, medical, education, or culture, this city will employ the most advanced methods to revolutionize the socio-economic and environmental landscape of the region.
However, the farmers of the region do not seem happy. “This project is solely designed for the real estate gains and not to improve the environmental needs, we are willing to cooperate in the cleaning of River Ravi, but we are not ready to comply in making of new city on our land,” a farmer’s representative quoted as saying. Prime Minister Imran Khan also said that the completion of the projects including Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) and Central Business District (CBD) Walton would prove helpful in saving the environment and ecology of Lahore.
PM Khan said, ‘the success of these projects would serve as a model for other cash-strapped departments to replicate for generating financial resources’, APP reported earlier this month. The consultant for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) claims that the project would reduce smog and improve the environment in Lahore. But the real question still remains. Pakistani officials who are responsible for keeping rivers clean have no excuse. It is vital to regulate our own polluting enterprises that damage the river basin.