It has also formed a committee, comprising retired and serving officials and pollution experts, to recommend amendments in the Fisheries Ordinance, enabling the department to punish polluters.
Initial findings revealed that despite repeated assurances by the Environment Protection Department (EPD) and directions of the superior court, the disposal of untreated liquid waste into the drains continued unabated.
At some points, filmed by the department, pure acids are being released into water channels.
“The water was bubbling at one point and a stone thrown into it by the crew was dissolved,” says a crew member of the video survey team. The department has already completed filming of Dek Nullah (Kalashah Kaku), Hadiara drain and the pumping station of Lahore city.
The department’s renewed vigour to document the level of pollution and get the law changed came after a commitment from the higher level to check the water quality in the province.
Talking about the purpose of the survey, Dr Muhammad Ayub, Fisheries Director General, said the quality of water had deteriorated very quickly and triggered fears of a chain reaction for environment and economy of the country.
The survey would document water pollution with dates and levels to be used for future reference and devise ways and means to check it. “Once these video tapes are complete, they will be sent to all newspapers and stakeholders to create awareness among them,” he said.
The department also plans to conduct a survey of Tawi river that brings in Pakistan pollutant water from the held Kashmir valley.
The Tawi survey findings would be handed over to the Foreign Office to be taken up with India along with the Hadiara drain issue, the DG said.
“Certain clauses of international conventions regulate the quality of water flowing across international borders,” he added.
About the revision committee, he said that it should complete its recommendations within a month. “The department wants to get through the official process quickly and turn it into a law.”
Once this documentation was completed, Dr Ayub said, all stakeholders would be invited to assess the damage to water and its consequences and remedial measures.