LAHORE: Major remedies have been recommended for revitalisation of the Ravi river under the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project following various test reports on wastewater quality.

With the launch of civil work on the project after approval and submission of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, the project team is set to first start work on the renaissance of the river.

“After signing of the Indus Waters Treaty, India constructed additional diversion capacity at Madhopur headworks, diverting the perennial flows. The flows that used to be released downstream to be picked up at Balloki were also diverted from Madhopur. Subsequently, India constructed Thein Dam in 2000 with a live storage capacity of 1.92 million acre feet (MAF). With this India is now capable of storing the flows that used to flow downstream of Madhopur headworks,” reads an internal report of the riverfront project.

The ecology of the Ravi has been devastated since the construction of Thein Dam, which has negatively impacted the socio-economic status and physical health of the communities living along its banks. Additionally, polluted wastewater containing heavy metals, high arsenic levels, and sewage in the Ravi caused various waterborne diseases.

“The Ravi river banks have become sites for dumping of solid waste over time. The riverine area has also been illegally encroached upon. The surveys show presence of multiple cattle farms within the river, resulting in production of cattle waste and polluting the Ravi. And unfortunately, deforestation activities have also been noticed which need emergent attention. In case of huge deforestation, the environment and ecology of the Ravi will be biggest threat for the megacity,” the report states.

Regarding the wastewater tests, the report mentions that water quality of the Ravi had been adversely affected over time. To determine quality of the wastewater, different tests were carried out by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Laboratories Complex on 34 environmental parameters of international standards with water samples taken from various locations across Lahore.

The report mentions another study, named Revitalisation of River Ravi, which also found out that the water quality was not only adverse, but also a source of various waterborne and acute diseases, such as cancer.

The report recommends immediate installation of seven wastewater treatment plants across Lahore before dumping into the Ravi, induction of 1,000 cusecs of water into the river from BRB Canal during low-flow season -- October to April, storage of 0.22MAF of water by creating an artificial lake and construction of three barrages at Ravi, preservation of heritage and cultural buildings and sites falling under the project area, following Heritage Impact Assessment report prepared by a Canadian heritage expert that endorses the need for the project, creation of recreational activities and an eco-city for revitalisation of the river ecology, development of an urban forest and urban farms to meet the agriculture and ecological needs, provision of fish ladders in barrages for the smooth movement of fisheries and plantation of more than two million trees.

While discussing the recharge of clean groundwater, the report mentions the steps taken by the government through introducing amendments to the LDA building regulations. These included reduction in the provision of water from 70 gallons per day per capita to 50 gallons, imposition of groundwater charges on private tubewells, 80 per cent reuse of water at car wash centres, compulsion of rooftop rainwater harvesting in new houses bigger than 10 marlas, 80pc reuse of grey water in all high-rise buildings, plantation of six million trees in Lahore to reduce urban flooding and groundwater recharge, development of first urban forest at Liberty Market, establishment of artificial recharge wells in parks, open areas for groundwater improvement, separation of grey water, rainwater and black water at house level in new development schemes and reduction in the dependency on groundwater by provision of clean surface water from the Ravi.

“The Ravi project will enhance the quality of groundwater. It will also curb mixing of hazardous water in the river water, which results in polluting the groundwater. The supply of freshwater body will improve the groundwater quality,” the report claims.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2021