ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is blocking access to the jetty at Rawal Lake by erecting a fence. The measure is aimed at preventing visitors from riding the illegal motorboats parked here.

“Motorboats are banned in this lake. An operation against motorboats was difficult to carry out and could have caused unpleasantness. So, blocking access to the boats is one of the best plans for discouraging this activity,” said CDA Member Environment Mustafain Kazmi.

He added that a fence will be put up in a few days.

The use of motorboats was banned in Rawal Lake in 2009 after the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) expressed serious concern over the pollution caused by motorised boats being used in the reservoir which supplies drinking water to residents of Rawalpindi.

Muhammad Waqas, a boat owner, has been giving rides to visitors to the park since the last few years. He said motorboats never went out of service.

Instead of enforcing ban on motorboats, CDA is erecting a fence around the Rawal Lake

“We had them for emergency purposes but then we also obliged visitors who wanted rides in motor boats,” said Waqas.

Another boat owner Babar Ahmed said: “We know the ban on motorboats is still in place but we still give joy rides, because the money is good.”

He usually charges Rs500 for a short trip and Rs1,000 for a longer one.

The Pak-EPA, considering the boats to be a major source of pollution in lake, criticised the CDA for not enforcing the ban.

“It’s not just oil residues released from the engines of the motorboats. Another main impact is churning up the lake bottom in shallow areas. Stirring up sediments decreases water quality by adding more particles,” said a senior official in the Pak-EPA.

“Motorboats add metals, chemicals and hydrocarbon emissions to freshwater. A certain amount of unburnt fuel from the motor is discharged into the lake,” the official explained.

Located on Murree Road, Lake View Park built on the banks of the reservoir has been developed to become a major tourist attraction.

The Pak-EPA official said the CDA had violated environmental laws by allowing recreational activities around the lake as it was part of protected park area. “The civic authority never took environmental clearance from Pak-EPA to build this park,” he said.

However, Member Environment Mustafain Kazmi said: “The ban on motorboats in Rawal Lake is still intact. CDA has always complied with Pak EPA’s environmental laws because it is mandatory.”

Former managing director for the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Retired Colonel Islamul Haq spent three years trying to convince CDA to ban activities in and around the lake completely.

“We have entered into a stage of total collapse as far as drinking water is concerned,” he said.

He said there were numerous environmental issues with the Rawal Lake. Particles are often so small that they escape the outdated filtration system used by Wasa to clean water from Rawal Lake. Water is treated using the chlorination method which has been abandoned worldwide.

“Excessive chlorination reacts with organic matter producing a tri-helomethane agent that discolours drinking water in Rawalpindi to a mild yellow. This can cause serious health problems,” Islamul Haq said.

Col Haq recommended that CDA should protect reservoirs of drinking water as is done in other countries.

However, blocking access to the lake means that visitors will also not be able to ride paddle boats and rowboats.

“For most visitors, a day out with the family to the Rawal Lake is not complete without a scenic boat ride,” said Naveed Ullah who brings his children to the spot for a boat ride once or twice in two months.

However CDA Member Estate retorted that the service not only has grave consequences for environment but is a dangerous activity in the absence of safety measures and proper rescue services.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2014