RAWALPINDI: More than the issue of hundreds of fish drying in the Rawal Dam due to contamination, environmentalists are concerned about sewage flowing into the dam without being treated first.

Though the Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans to install a sewerage treatment plant, the Punjab government is yet to take action to stop the flow of sewage in the streams of Murree and its adjoining areas into the Korang River which discharges into Rawal Lake.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn water in the dam was polluted by the sewage flowing into streams and nullahs which discharge into the Rawal Lake.

He said recent water quality reports had declared it fit for human consumption but only after being treated. He said Rawal Lake was vulnerable to water pollution and was facing the problem of eutrophication, which is when water becomes artificially enriched with nutrients, causing an abnormally dense plant growth.

Rawal Lake is polluted by sewage from Bani Gala, Bari Iman, Diplomatic Enclave, QAU, Murree and poultry farms

He said sewage from nearby housing societies in Bani Gala, Bari Imam, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), the Diplomatic Enclave and poultry farms around Murree also drains into the lake.

There has been a mushroom growth of housing societies around the lake and builders are cutting down hills and trees to build new housing schemes. The Water and Sanitation Agency Rawalpindi alone spends Rs10 million each year on Alum, which is used to clean drinking water.

He said the Supreme Court had directed the CDA and the Punjab government last year to take measures to make Rawal Lake pollution free as it supplies drinking water to citizens.

However, he said, the Punjab government has yet to take action for stopping sewage from Murree and its adjoining areas from ending up in the lake as it wanted the federal government to install a treatment plant, claiming that the 12 kilometre area around the lake fell in the limits of the CDA.

Though billions of rupees are being spent on the development of the hill station, no steps have been taken for installing a sewage treatment plant in or around Murree, he said.

When asked, CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kayani told Dawn the CDA was working on installing the sewerage treatment plant in the area that falls in its jurisdiction and that the Punjab government should stop the flow of sewage in the Korang nullah in its jurisdiction.

He said the CDA has already declared construction in Bani Gala illegal and was working on connecting Diplomatic Enclave to its main network so sewage from this area does not flow into the lake. Sewage from QAU is treated, he said.

The mushroom growth of housing societies is the main reason for the pollution in Rawal Lake and the provincial government should also take notice of the illegal settlements in its area, he said.

When contacted, Punjab Environment Protection Agency Deputy Shahid Hassan said the area around the lake falls under the CDA’s limits and that the CDA should install a treatment plant.

He said the provincial government was working on stopping the discharge of sewage in streams and nullahs and that notices have been issued and action will soon be taken against violators.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2017