LAHORE, Nov 15: WWF-India is launching a project to assess water quality of Hudiara drain on Indian side so that pollution (on the Pakistani side) can be reduced. WWF-India’s Dr Anjana Pant and Gurunanak Dev University, Amritsar, Assistant Prof Dr Anish Dua told reporters at the WWF office here on Tuesday the project would be completed in two years.

They said the project “Addressing environmental and pollution concerns across international waters through strategic participation” would also aim at assessing the sources of pollution of the drain, its impact on livestock and human health, and raise awareness among communities.

WWF-Pakistan completed in 2001 the first phase of a project on Hudiara Drain initiated in 1999. Its second phase kicked off in 2004.

Both projects (Indian and Pakistani) would be completed in 2006 and a joint strategy would be evolved on their findings to control pollution.

The Indians said not much pollution was on their side of the drain as there was no major industry in its vicinity. The water of the Ravi on their side was clean and it was polluted after the release in Pakistan, they added.

Hudiara drain originates from Batala district in Gurdaspur, and after being joined by many tributaries in Amritsar covering some 40 kilometres enters Pakistani Punjab near Lalaul village. It falls into Ravi after covering a stretch of 55 kms. It was originally a storm water drain, however, dumping of industrial and domestic waste has turned it into a perennial one. Its annual average discharge at its confluence with the ravi is 178 cusecs. More than 100 industries of different sectors are located along it.

WWF-Pakistan’s Hammad Naqi and Amjad Aslam said the first phase of the Hudiara Drain project revealed that it was unfit for irrigation use, biologically contaminated, did not support any aquatic life and was contributing to ground water contamination.