THE termination of the New Murree project, planned in 2003 by the Punjab government, is a significant triumph for civil society and the environment. Building the Rs40bn tourist resort and township project spread over 4,000 acres of reserved forest land in Patriata, north of Islamabad, could well have had severe ecological and social implications. Apart from causing environmental harm in the Murree area, the project would also have had a negative impact on watershed conditions, affecting the quantity and quality of water supply to areas as far as Islamabad. Risks of physical disaster, caused by landslides, would also have increased.

The New Murree Development Authority was established in 2004 to execute the project. Fortunately, along with NGOs dealing with environmental issues, environmentalists, the media and local communities managed to build up enough pressure to stall the initiative. In 2005 the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the project, and in 2008, the authority was eventually abolished.

While the termination of the project is to be lauded, there are lessons to be drawn from the saga. It is evident that action is needed to ensure that potentially disastrous development schemes are not approved in the first place. The New Murree project is a classic example of institutional failure. It was approved despite existing legislation and policies aimed at bringing environmental concerns within the ambit of development planning and making Environment Impact Assessments the focus of project appraisal. If we are serious about halting environmental degradation and limiting our consequent vulnerability to natural disasters, it must be ensured that our environmental and planning agencies at the federal and provincial levels have the requisite expertise and resources to ensure compliance with the EIA process. Also, nothing should stop the government from implementing the law when it comes to screening and monitoring development projects to stall environmental damage.