Ravi threatens aquatic life, groundwater

[LRE]

Ravi threatens aquatic life, groundwater



Tuesday, February 17, 2009
By Ali Raza

LAHORE

OXYGEN level required for stable aquatic life has alarmingly reduced in the Ravi River endangering native fish species besides posing a grave threat to the aquatic life and underground water level.

This was revealed in the latest study conducted by Environment Protection Department (EPD) during November 2008-January 2009. The study was also presented to the Punjab Chief Minister by the department recently. The study said that at various points oxygen level in the river was too low to support aquatic life.

According to the latest study, ten sewage drains and pumping stations and five industrial wastewater carrying drains are throwing 1,810 cusecs municipal sewage and toxic industrial effluents into the river.

According to international standards, the level of Biological Official Demand (BOD) in river water should be 80 mg/l whereas the level of BOD in the water of ten sewage drains and pumping stations ranges between 129 mg/l to 430 mg/l. Likewise the BOD in the water of five drains throwing toxic industrial waste in river Ravi ranged between 24 mg/l to 360 mg/l.

Having a total length of 422 miles in Punjab and an average discharge of around 0.94 Million Acre Feet (MAF), Ravi River, during the last many years, has turned into a dumping ground for municipal as well as industrial sewage, resulting in an end to several native fish species besides posing a serious threat to the remaining aquatic life and under ground water level.

River Ravi enters Pakistan at Kot Nainan and joins River Chenab at Sardar Pur, Khanewal, which is some 422 miles. In winter season the average water discharge of the river was around 0.54 MAF and in summer it is around 0.94 MAF.

Ten drains throwing municipal waste are Mehmood Booti Drain (1 cusecs in which BOD level is 250 mg/l), Sukh Naher Drain (80 cusecs in which BOD level is 120 mg/l), Shadbagh Drain (200 cusecs in which BOD level is 192 mg/l), Shahdara Town Pumping Station (35 cusecs in which BOD level is 140 mg/l), Forest Colony pumping Station (25 cusecs in which BOD level is 200 mg/l), Furakhabad Drain (40 cusecs in which BOD level is 382 mg/l), Budha Ravi (56 cusecs in which BOD level is 430 mg/l), Main Out Fall Drain (102 cusecs in which BOD level is 412 mg/l), Gulshan-e-Ravi Drain (89 cusecs in which BOD level is 395 mg/l) and Babu Sabu Drain (72 cusecs in which BOD level is 312 mg/l).

The industrial-cum sewage carrying drains dumping toxic waste water in Ravi River are Hudiyara Drain (512 cusecs in which BOD level is 120 mg/l), Deg Nullah, Faisalabad (100 cusecs in which BOD level is 360 mg/l), Samundry Drain, Faisalabad (400 cusecs in which BOD level is 66 mg/l), Sukhrawa Drain, Sahiwal (53 cusecs in which BOD level is 36 mg/l) and Gojra Drain, TT Singh (45 cusecs in which BOD level is 24 mg/l).

Besides the municipal and industrial drains, five irrigation canals are also releasing water in Ravi. These canals are Marala Ravi link Canal (BOD level is 3.6mg/l), Upper Chenab Canal (5,570 cusecs in which BOD level is 168 mg/l), QB Link Canal (14,500 cusecs in which BOD level is 2.4 mg/l), Trimu Sidhnai Link canal (2,000 cusecs in which BOD level is 6.8 mg/l) and Haveli Main Line canal (3,600 cusecs in which BOD level is 3.4 mg/l). The report revealed that in Lahore, the Main Outfall and Shadbagh drains are most polluted drains throwing municipal waste in the river while Hudiyara drain is the most polluted drain throwing industrial sewage in the river.

About the level of dissolved oxygen in river Ravi, the report said that near new bridge Lahore the oxygen level in the river is too low to support aquatic life and in Sharakpur and Morekhunda, the river’s dissolved oxygen level depleted significantly rendering it unfit to support aquatic life.

Naseemur Rehman, a senior EPD official revealed that following the rising pollution in the river, the EPD has filed a complaint in Environmental Protection Tribunal (EPT), Lahore against WASA on account of discharging untreated sewage into the river causing water pollution. The WASA had submitted an undertaking in the court for establishment of wastewater/sewage treatment plants for which they have acquired land and PC-1 has been forwarded to P&D Department for approval.

He said LDA has also proposed six sewage treatment plants in Lahore’s Master Plan for which funding is being awaited. These treatment plants are identified on Mian Mir Drain (Rs 4,116 million), Hadiyara Drain (Rs 2,058 million), Shadbagh Drain (Rs 2,744 million), Suckh Nahar (Rs 2,766 million), Sattokatla Drain (Rs 1,070 million) and Farukhabad Drain, Shahdara (Rs 1,194 million).

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=163084

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