Lahore: Deep grounds and ponds to combat falling water level

[Naveed Yaseen]

* 200 open areas to be used as public parks during dry seasons, water ponds during rains
* Project includes converting dumping grounds into small parks, grassy fields

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: The Punjab government has launched a programme – the concept of deep grounds and huge ponds – to control the rapidly declining water level in the city, as well as to stop rainwater from accumulating in streets and on roads during the monsoon season.

The project is being led by the same team that was involved in developing a similar concept in 1997 during the reign of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif as chief minister. The team has already pinpointed at least 200 open areas in various parts of the city, which could be used as public parks during the dry seasons and as huge water ponds during the monsoon and heavy rains.

The sub-teams would dig the grounds deep enough to store the rainwater of the entire area around it, which will seep into the ground and help control the declining underground water level.

The project has been launched on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, as he was concerned about the declining water level, as well as about the presence of huge quantity of stagnant water after rainfalls.

The water level of Lahore is touching an alarming mark, as it has reached below 120 feet in most areas. Experts are worried about the further decline in the level of water due to the massive wastage of potable water and lack of proper facilities to stop or store it. They also attribute the rapid loss of underground water to the ‘killing’ of River Ravi, as India is building dams on it and utilising all of the river’s water by redirecting the water flow from its original path.

The government is utilising already-available grounds such as the doongi ground (deep ground) on MM Alam Road, Ghalib Market Ground, Main Market and other grounds situated in the Gulberg Town area, as well as those situated in Garden Town, Model Town, Barkat Market, Muslim Town and Shadman. The teams have already started working on the project.

Parks: The project would also address the issue of a massive number of dumping grounds, situated in various parts of the city, by converting them into small parks and grassy fields with covered benches, dustbins and garbage skims installed to stop people from throwing garbage there. This will convert the dumping grounds into entertaining and environment-friendly places. The government has pinpointed another 1,200 points in the city in this regard, while they have already converted hundreds of them into small public places.Worldwide practice:

Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Director Aftab Chaudhry told Daily Times that water level in the city was declining rapidly and “we have failed to adopt any ingenious measure to control it”. He was of the view that the new project could be the first step towards changing the trend.

He said developed countries had also adopted similar methods to save rainwater, as the practice done on a large scale could help the earth absorb a huge quantity of water and keep the cycle in limits.

He said the water level in areas like Sabzazaar was around 20 feet below the surface, which had now fallen to 120 feet. He suggested that creating awareness among the public about water conservation, controlling the wastage of potable water and diverting the water of River Chanab to Ravi in order to control the underground water level of the city and to irrigate the agricultural land near Ravi could be some other possible solutions to the problem.

Chief Minister’s Principal Staff Officer (PSO) Khawaja Imran Raza, also the head of the project, told Daily Times that the government had been spending billions of rupees on the multi-dimensional project to provide maximum numbers of parks, develop as much greenery as possible, protect the environment, get rid of massive garbage piles in different localities, develop small roads and to control underground water level to the maximum extent.

He said officials had engaged different departments, including the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA), Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and Solid Waste Management, in the project, adding that the plan would change the whole look of the provincial capital within a couple of years.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_3