Water crisis in the offing

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: The underground water level in the provincial capital, which has already dropped to over 700 feet, is going down by the ratio of around 3 feet per year, posing a serious threat to the availability of clean drinking water to the residents in near future. 
Sources in the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) revealed that, presently, clean drinking water was being pumped out from 700 to 800 feet, whereas, the level of shallow water had also declined to 90 to 150 feet. They said, following the situation, the WASA had asked several government departments and private enterprises to start using shallow water for their day-to-day requirement, instead of wasting clean drinking water for fire-fighting, washing clothes, vehicles, homes and lawns and industrial use.
The sources said the Agency’s own studies showed that, presently, water table in Lahore was declining by around 3 feet per year while, from 1995 to 2001, the ratio was 2.20 feet per year, 1990 to 1995 it was 2.10, from 1986 to 1990 it was 2.90, 1980 to 1986 it was 1.27 and from 1976 to 1980 the ratio was one foot per year.
Shallow water below ground surface was available at 12.6 foot (minimum) and 53.4 foot (maximum) in 1976, a senior WASA official said, adding, at present, the level had dropped to about 90 feet (minimum) and 150 feet (maximum) in various localities. The depth of water below the surface of ground varies from one area to the others. It is about 60 to 70 feet in the Walled City, 80 to 210 feet in Mozang and Southern areas of the city and 90 to 150 feet in the areas along river Ravi.
WASA’s record showed that, in 1923, the WASA tube wells were pumping out clean drinking water from 250 to 290 feet, in 1984-85, the level of clean drinking water went down to 350 feet while, presently, WASA’s tube-wells are sucking water from 500 to 800 foot deep in the ground.
As the city’s water supply system was totally dependent on ground water, the WASA and other government departments such as Pakistan Railways, Lahore Cantonment Board, Cooperative Housing Society Model Town, Defense Housing Society and several semi-government and private housing schemes were abstracting water through tube-wells in their respective areas.
He said, at present, about 450 tube-wells of the WASA and around 500 tube wells of private housing schemes, cantonment board, the DHA, Model Town and other areas were pumping out water from the underground aquifer.
There were 30 tube wells, controlled by the WASA, in the area in 1967. The figure rose to 75 in 1975. Presently, WASA has over 450 tube-wells. The WASA is producing over 500 million gallon water per day (mgd) as compared to 75 mgd in 1975 and 27 mgd 1967. With 80 gallons per capita supply of portable water a day, the WASA serves over 5 million population of the city.
The major threat to underground water reservoirs was rapidly reducing rainfall and absence of water in the river Ravi for the last many years. Lahore is spread over an area of around 800 sq km. As the city land is generally flat, the river Ravi has been a main source of aquifer discharge. The low rainfall and rapid urbanization, which eliminated majority of the waste water ponds in the provincial metropolis, have adversely affected the underground water resources. The WASA’s spokesman said that unnecessary use of clean drinking water had multiplied the problems. He admitted the WASA had wrote letters to different departments,
like Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Fire Fighting department, Pakistan Railways, etc, to use shallow water for their needs.
He said people were using good quality water for ordinary purposes. The water was being wasted to irrigate gardens, washing cars and cleaning floors in the houses. The public stand posts, provided by the WASA and other departments at public places, were being misused as the water continues to flow from the taps most of the time. Even drinking quality water is being used to irrigate big gardens such as Bagh-e-Jinnah, Nasir Bagh and Model Town Park, he maintained.
There is an urgent need to educate people about the importance of drinking water, he said, adding people should know that only sustainable use of water could provide a guarantee that drinking water was available for their future generations.

Published in Daily The News on Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Mechanical sweepers polluting Ravi

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: Instead of controlling dust pollution, mechanical sweepers of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department of City District Government Lahore (CDGL) are spreading dust. 
The SWM, owns two big vacuum sweepers, 33 trolley sweepers and two small mechanical sweepers. The SWM uses these sweepers in various city localities to clean roads and most of these vehicles are brought on roads early in the morning or late at night.
Interestingly, the two big vacuum sweepers were designated for big city roads like The Mall and Bund Road while remaining sweepers were used on medium and small roads. The SWM officials said according to the policy the sweepers could only collect dust from roads at night or early in the morning and then dispose it of in the street containers or at the dumping sites of the SWM.
Sources said the SWM authorities were operating the sweepers in two shifts i.e. day and night. They claimed that majority of the sweepers did not follow the policy of disposing of dust in street containers or at the dumping sites. They claimed that majority of the drivers of mechanical sweepers disposed of dust in empty plots or in the open sewers and drainage system of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).
The sources said several complaints regarding the issue had already been filed before the SWM authorities but so far no action had been taken against any of the driver or the officials incharge of the operation of mechanical sweepers.
They said the two big vacuum sweepers, VS-1 and VS-II by SWM, used to dispose of dust at the dumping sites only but, practically, they dispose of collected dust at open places, near street containers and in the Ravi river.
On Wednesday, The News photographer got shots of one of the vacuum sweepers when it was disposing of dust into the river Ravi from Sagian Bridge. The vehicle with labelled as VS-I was standing in middle of the bridge and throwing dust into the river besides creating clouds of dust on the bridge causing difficulties for the passers-by.
The city is already facing heavy industrial pollution, especially steel related, which are using used tyers and sub-standard rubber products to keep their machines alive and release pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides and toxic metals, the major source of air pollution in the provincial capital without any control and check.
Environmental experts said that Particulate Matter (PM), which is commonly known as Dust is very dangerous for human health. They said the air pollutants restrict photosynthesis, increase respiratory infections, birth defects, acid rains, and lung damage. They further said that lead and cadmium were also present in the fumes released by steel industry that caused collapse of central nervous system and degeneration of joints, lung and kidney diseases respectively.
Arif, incharge of the said vehicle, admitted that throwing collected dust in the river Ravi was an illegal act. He said the vacuum sweepers were very big in size so they could not dispose of dust in street containers so he directed the drivers to dispose of dust near street containers, which was lifted in the morning. He also admitted that these vehicles were brought on roads in two shifts.
Mudassar Waheed, District Officer SWM, said the department had passed strict directions to the drivers of mechanical sweepers to dispose of dust in containers or at dumping sites only. He said no other option was given to them and in case of complaint strict action would be taken against the driver.

Published in Daily The News on Thursday, October 15, 2009.

Industrialisation, mounting pollution threaten Lahore

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: Rapidly increasing industrialization and commercialisation has turned the provincial metropolis -- once known as the City of Gardens -- into one of the most polluted cities in the country.
Even residential localities are not safe from increasing trends of commercialization and industrialization because many industrial zones, which were established some years ago outside the city, are now situated right in middle of the City.
Light and heavy industrial units have been established in various city localities i.e. Misri Shah, Baghbanpura, Mughalpura, Daroghewala, Bhagat Pura, Chah Miran, Shadbagh and other localities along the Bund Road and GT Road. These industries include steel foundries, steel re-rolling mills, kilns, steel furnaces, scrap yards, plastic recycling industry, marble grinding, furniture making and several other kinds of cottage industries. All of these industries are spreading different types of pollutions especially air, noise, vibration and heat.
According to a rough estimate, over 700 industrial units including a major chunk of steel-related industries are causing serious environmental hazards especially noise and air pollution in various localities of Northern Lahore. Majority of these industrial units are operating in residential localities posing serious threat to human life.
Besides residential areas, a good number of industrial and commercial ventures are operating around historical monuments i.e. Shalimar Garden, Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque. The Environment Department of the CDGL had already served notices to many of these ventures but in vain.
Majority of industries especially steel-related ones are using used tyres and substandard rubber products to keep their machines running and these machines releases pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides and toxic metals, which are considered the major source of air pollution in the provincial capital without any control and check.
For many years, marble grinding and furniture manufacturing industries had been established in residential areas of Ichhra, Ferozpur Road and various other residential localities of Bund Road and Ravi Road. Similarly, College Road, Township, has also turned into a mini industrial zone with the establishment of marble grinding industry.
A good number of industrial units manufacturing spurious motor oil are located in Badami Bagh while Rim Market along the historical Lahore Fort is still a serious threat to the biggest archaeological site of the city.
Likewise, Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area is also surrounded by residential colonies and residents of these localities are facing air and other kinds of pollution. Another serious threat being faced by residents is the discharge of polluted water by industries in local drains.
Brandreth Road has become the hub of mechanical spare parts while localities such as Rehman Gallian, Landa Bazaar, Prem Gallian, Adda Crown have changed into manufacturing areas of these spare parts. People have installed high temperature furnaces, steel rubbing and polishing and other related cottage industries in their homes.
Gulshan-e-Ravi - a purely residential locality of the city - is also rapidly changing into a cottage industry zone. A large number of machinery manufacturing units were established in various blocks of this locality especially those close to Bund Road. Motor workshops and heavy body vehicle manufacturing is another rapidly increasing industry in this locality.
Environmental experts have said that principle air pollutant in the smoke is Particulate Matter (PM) that includes toxic metal dusts and fumes of lead, chromium, cadmium and zinc and uncontrolled release of these emissions is deterioration air quality. They said air pollutants restrict photosynthesis, increase respiratory infections, birth defects, acid rains, and lung damage. They said that lead and cadmium are also present in fumes released by steel industry that cause collapse of central nervous system and degeneration of joints, lung and kidney diseases respectively.
Sources in the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) revealed that as per Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 all industrial units i.e. cottage or large are supposed to obtain NOCs from the EPD but over 70 per cent industrial units operating in the city do not bother to fulfil this legal formality.
Though the EPD runs various campaigns against these industrial units especially those burning used tyres and sub standard rubber products, but the issue is still alive and these industrial units are continuously using this “cheap alternate fuel”.
A senior official of the EPD stated that the department some months ago had already started a survey in North Lahore to access the situation. He said the department was also working on shifting these industrial units outside the City. He said recently some steel industries installed scrubbers to control hazardous effects of air pollution and the department was pursuing others to install these scrubbers.
On the other hand, the EPD has again planned to start a new drive against industries polluting the city and recently the department has sent challans of 13 industrial units to the Environment Tribunal for legal action.
The challans of Lahore’s industrial units and commercial concerns included W-tribe, Bao Screen Printing, Amjed Bricks Company, Abdul Hafeez Bricks Company, Nadeem Bricks Company, Aslam Bricks Company, National Bricks Company, Akram Bricks Company, Omar Bricks Company, Ejaz Bricks Company, Unique Marble Industries, Khas Marble Industry and a case against private person for using generator.
When contacted, a spokesman for the EPD said that the drive against industrial and commercial polluters will continue. He said cases against the above mentioned units had been sent to the Environmental Tribunal after completing all legalities including personal hearing notices, EPOs and final notices.
On the other hand, majority of citizens have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pay attention on this vital and very important issue due to which the health of majority of the city residents is at stake. They also demanded immediate categorization of industrial, commercial and residential localities in the city, saying all industrial units should be shifted to industrial zones outside the city.

Published in Daily The News on Thursday, September 24, 2009.

Citizens pay for delay in landfill project

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: DELAY in the acquisition of land for the first-ever scientific landfill site in the provincial capital is behind dumping of solid waste in the open - a dangerous practice seriously affecting the quality of underground water, air and health of people in adjoining areas.
Presently, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Department of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is disposing of solid waste at three landfill sites located at Mehmood Booti, Baghrian and Sagian Bridge.
CDGL sources revealed that none of the three sites were environment-friendly and were disposing of waste in violation of rules and regulations formulated by the Ministry of Environment. They said all three sites are termed dumping sites and not landfill sites. Sources claimed that only the landfill site of Mehmood Booti is officially declared a landfill site while SWM authorities have unofficially allowed disposal of solid waste and garbage at the two others sites.
Sources said none of the three sites have any liners (sheets of plastics laid in the soil to stop chemicals seeping into ground water) and chemicals from discarded items such as batteries, paints, and cleaners can leach directly into underground aquifers. The chances of contamination of drinking water with benzene, toluene, and vinyl chloride is common near landfills, said a senior officer of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) adding the number of people suffering from diseases because of these open waste dumping sites is on the rise.
EPD sources revealed that some months ago the department conducted a survey of localities near landfill site of Mehmood Booti revealed that almost every third person in families living nearby was suffering from respiratory, abdominal, stomach or other diseases. Most of the people blame contaminated drinking water and unhygienic air for their health problems.
CDGL figures reveal that over 6,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated daily in the provincial metropolis while over 500 tonnes of waste is generated in Lahore Cantonment Board, Model Town Society and Defence Housing Society areas. No proper landfill site exists. The lifting capacity of SWM is only 5,000 tonne and the remaining 1,000 tonne of solid waste and garbage went into city drains or remained scattered on roads. Environmental experts said if a landfill site is constructed ignoring scientific methods then it serves no purpose and such a site was called a dumping ground only. They said a number of adverse effects may occur from such landfill operations. They said these included pollution of local environment (contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers), off gassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes; harbouring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills and nuisance problems (dust, odour, vermin, or noise pollution).
Scientifically, a landfill site should contain a network of drains to collect leachate (liquid released by solid and other waste during decomposition process) and pumping system to pump it to the surface where it can be treated. Ground wells are also drilled into and around the landfill to monitor groundwater quality and to detect any contamination. These safety measures keep ground water, which is the main source of drinking water in many communities, clean and pure, experts said. On the other hand, none of the three landfill sites had such a system.
Experts said the landfill was divided into a series of individual cells to protect the environment. Only a few cells of the site (called the working face) are filled with trash at any one time, minimizing exposure to wind and rain and at the end of each day, workers spread a layer of earth—called the daily cover—over the waste to reduce odour and control vermin population. Workers fill and cap each cell with a layer of clay and earth, and then seed the area with native grasses but in Lahore application of such methods is a only a pipe dream.
When a landfill is full, workers seal and cover the landfill with a final cap of clay and dirt. Workers continue to monitor the ground wells for years after a landfill is closed to keep tabs on the quality of groundwater on and around the site.
Solid Waste Management District Officer Rafique Jatoi told The News that the CDGL was in the process of acquisition of 900 kanals of land in Katcha area. He said the delay was due to legal requirements of getting an NOC from the EPD for which Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report was required. He said the CDGL had engaged NESPAK for carrying out the EIA study of the project, which according to him had been completed and the final EIA report was recently submitted to the EPD for approval. He said the new landfill site will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 500 million and will be the first-ever scientific landfill site in Punjab.
Talking about various types of pollution being generated by the landfill sites, he said all these problems will be solved after the construction of the new scientific landfill site in the city.

Published in Daily The News on Saturday, September 26, 2009.

Most of trees along canal are dead

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: A MAJORITY of healthy looking, big, green poplar trees on both sides of the canal are dead from inside and they are discharging excessive carbon dioxide into the atmosphere instead of keeping it clean.
The findings were revealed in a recent report of a committee constituted by the Lahore High Court while hearing a writ petition. The committee comprised officials of the Punjab Forest Department, the Parks and Horticulture Authority, the Punjab Forestry Research Institute and two lawyers.
The petition was filed by Saeed Nasim Cheema v/s the Punjab Forest Department and Justice Syed Asghar Haider on February 13, 2009, had directed the forest department to depute a team of experts to examine the deteriorating condition of trees on The Mall and the Link Canal, BRB. In pursuance of the court order, the department constituted a committee, which held its first meeting on March 26, 2009, and inspected the sites on March 30, 2009. Meetings were also held on March 31, 2009 and April 4, 2009.
The last meeting of the committee was held on May 21 during which the PHA director said that poplars were planted on the canal banks 30-40 years back while the natural age of the trees was 15 to 25 years.
“At present, the age of poplars is 10 to 15 years above their natural age. Their outer body is green but they are hollow from inside while most of the trees are dead,” the PHA director revealed in the report. He also recommended immediate replacement of the dead trees with new ones.
The committee also devised a comprehensive plan for tree planting along the Canal Road, BRB Canal and The Mall to be completed in next three years. It said that the planting included the Pepal, Amaltas, Gul-e-Mohar, Kachnar, Ghural, Gab, Bottle Brush, Ticoma and Mahwa trees. Ahmad Rafay Alam, one of the members of the committee, said the poplars along the canal had grown past their age. “This means that, although they are living and well, the inside trunks are beginning to grow old and decay from inside. This is natural and occurs in all trees,” he said. Mr Alam said the poplars along the canal were planted during the 1960s along with the eucalyptus. He said the PHA director informed the committee that it was thought that they were quick growing trees that would provide cover along the canal. Other trees with longer life spans were also planted. He said poplars could collapse in strong winds that’s why every monsoon or during every windstorms one or two of such tress used to fall.
The founder of the Shajar Dost Movement and a renowned landscape consultant, Col (Retd) Ejaz Nazim, strongly criticised the departments concerned regarding the issue.
He said the healthy looking trees but hollow or dead from inside were discharging extra carbon dioxide, adding that the trees should be replaced with new long-lasting trees to reduce the rising air pollution.
“The majority of trees along the city canal are badly damaged by termites and any new planting near these infected trees would result in spread of termites,” he said and added that new planting should be made after uprooting the infected and dead trees.
Mr Nazim said the departments like the PHA and Punjab Forest department were not aware of the latest techniques of urban forestry and had not conducted any topographical survey of the trees to check their health. He said the departments had no facilities to plant saplings.
“What we do is plant thousands of saplings randomly, which later destroyed due to various reasons such as extreme weather conditions, unhealthy land and malnutrition,” he said. He urged the departments concerned to modify their approach regarding planting in urban areas and develop tree planting sites where long life trees were planted and nourished before being shifted to any urban area.
Talking about the issue, a number of citizens said what had the PHA and Punjab Forest Department been doing for the last 10 years if they did not know the well-known facts about poplars. However, they appreciated the court for setting up a committee, which finally made a plan and started planting trees according to the local needs.

Published in Daily The News on Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Six districts throwing untreated waste into Chenab

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: SIX districts in Punjab are throwing untreated industrial effluents and municipal sewage water into the Chenab River resulting in a serious threat to the aquatic life in the river as well as the ecosystem. 
Sources in Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Punjab, revealed that the department conducted a detailed survey of the river to gauge its pollution level and got terrifying results. They said there were some 15 points from where untreated toxic industrial effluents and municipal sewage was going into the river increasing the pollution every day.
According to an EPD source, 9000 million gallons of wastewater, having 20,000 tons of BOD5 loading, are daily discharged into water bodies from the industrial sector. Automobile service stations are another major contributor to surface water pollution. Untreated oil, grease and dirt find its way into nearby canals and rivers where it damages the ecosystem.
Sources, while going through the report, said that 15 points from where polluted water was going into the river were situated in six districts. Out of the 15 points, four are situated in District Gujrat, two in District Mandi Bahauddin, four in District Jhang (two each in Tehsil Chinot and Tehsil jhang), three in District Multan and one each in District Hafizabad and District Sargodha.
Besides these districts, Upper Jehlum Canal is also disposing industrial effluents into the river, sources said, adding five drains from the above mentioned six districts, carrying municipal and industrial effluents, are throwing toxic water into the river. These drains are Marh Drain and Paharang Drain in Chiniot, Ahmedwala and Karewala drains in District Jhang and Buddhi Nullah in District Sargodha.
However, the monitoring report claimed that overall situation regarding dissolved oxygen in Chenab River is favorable to support aquatic life but the situation, if not controlled immediately, could be changed.
EPD sources said waste water of Multan city was the biggest threat to the river because there was no wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the city due to which untreated industrial as well as municipal waste was going into the river. Sources said the Punjab government had approved installation of WWTP at Suraj Miani site near Multan and the PC-1 of the project was under preparation.
Likewise, no wastewater treatment plants are installed in the cities of Jhang, Chinot and Gujrat and untreated water is going into the river, sources said adding there was no plan to install wastewater treatment plants in these cities in near future.
A report of WWF-Pakistan said fresh water was fundamental to the survival of humans and most other land-based life forms. It said growing population, increased economic activity and industrialization had resulted in an increased demand for fresh water. It added that rapid urbanization was changing the patterns of water consumption, which caused a severe misuse of water resources.
The report maintained that discharging untreated sewage and chemical wastes directly into rivers, lakes and drains had become a traditional habit and in Pakistan, water was mainly used for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes. It said that municipal sewage was a major source of pollution. About two million wet tones of human excreta are annually produced in the urban sector of which around 50 per cent go into water bodies to pollute them. National Conservation Strategy (NCS) states that almost 40 per cent of deaths are related to water borne diseases.
Domestic wastewater collects on the streets and in low-lying areas. The situation is further aggravated by the addition of untreated wastes from small-scale industries.
The report further said that industrial wastewater contained toxic chemicals and it was alarming that most industries had been started without proper planning and waste treatment plants. They just dispose of untreated toxic waste into nearby drains, canals or rivers. Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi and Sialkot contribute major pollution loads into their water bodies, the report claimed.
Another report of World Health Organization (WHO) says that 25-30 per cent of all hospital admissions are connected to water borne bacterial and parasitic conditions, with 60 per cent of infant deaths caused by water infections.
WWF-Pakistan’s report revealed that water pollution extended a savage threat to wildlife in the country because animals drink water out of polluted water bodies, ailing ponds, rivers and streams. This sickens the animals and some may even die. Extreme pollution of Ravi river has destroyed the once existing 42 species of fish and the bird life around the river has migrated to other areas. Survival of small invertebrates, micro fauna and flora is also threatened.
The report suggested the government to identify industrial units that are the biggest polluters of river water. If National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) regarding wastewater were strictly enforced, these industries would have to reduce and treat their waste prior to disposal. A regular qualitative and quantitative monitoring of fresh water resources should also be done. Construction of proper sanitary landfill sites and investigation of ground water quality are among the other recommendations of the report.
Naseemur Rehman, a senior EPD official, said Paharang drain was disposing of treated water into the river, as the only municipal waste water treatment plant in the province was installed on this drain and was fully operative. Talking about the other points from where untreated wastewater is entering into the river, he said the department had asked all the concerned district governments to plan immediate installation of both industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants in their respective districts.

Published in Daily The News on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

EPD inaction behind increasing pollution

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: DIFFERENT types of pollution remained on the rise during year 2010 because of no practical and effective effort on part of the Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) to bring down surging levels of water and air pollution across the province.
Policymakers of the EPD did nothing except giving colourful presentations and policy papers to please politicians and ruling elite while on the ground people were compelled to drink contaminated water and inhale poisonous air especially in urban localities.
In the budget 2010-11, the Punjab government introduced a new vision of encouraging use of clean fuels, green public transport and treatment of industrial effluents but ironically these visionary words remained in the budget books.
Environmental issues seemed to be the last priority of the government as during the year 2010, Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif failed to ensure installation of any of the four approved waste water treatment plants for Faisalabad, Multan, Sundar Industrial Estate and Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate.
It is pertinent to mention here that majority of the industrial units across the province throw their toxic and untreated waste water into the ground as well as water channels like canals and rivers ultimately affecting the overall environmental system of the nature.
In urban areas, the department also failed in running any continuous and effective campaigns against smoke and noise emitting vehicles as well as the industrial units. It is also pertinent to mention here that in urban localities, the department also failed in taking any step to move industrial clusters from residential areas.
In urban areas especially the provincial metropolis, the main cause of deterioration of air quality during 2010 was presence of excessive Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the ambient air. The major sources of the SPM are vehicles, industry, burning of solid waste, brick kilns and natural dust. The origin of the SPM may be a natural phenomenon such as unpaved roads and places uncovered by green grass or trees. The average SPM concentration in Lahore exceeded many folds from the international standards (120 ug/m3).
Free movement of vehicles using crude diesel oil, motorcycles and two stroke rickshaws were also the main causes of air and noise pollution in urban areas including the provincial metropolis. It is worth mentioning here that despite clear directions of the Lahore High Court, the City District Government Lahore, Punjab Transport Department and EPD had failed to enforce ban on two stroke rickshaws in the City.
Another reason, which increased release of toxic gases from vehicles was overloading, faulty fuel injection nozzles and weak engines but none of the departments concerned including EPD took this seriously and failed to take any concrete action against this violation.
During the 2010, most of the tubewells pumped out hazardous and polluted water and a study of EPD about Lahore in 2010 showed that over 90 per cent of the tubewells of Wasa were supplying contaminated water to the citizens.
It is important to note that to tackle different environmental issues, the EPD established laboratories in eight different cities but interestingly the performance of these laboratories except the one in Lahore was nothing. For example EPD’s laboratory in Murree was established in a two room house but most of the time one of these remained occupied by EPD officials who came to Murree alone or with their families to enjoy weather during the year.
The EPD officials including its Director General Dr Shagufta Shahjehan also avoided giving research reports, analyses and laboratory findings especially pertaining to ground water contamination to media because of the fear of the provincial government.
Other main environmental issues, which got less attention in 2010 and needs immediate and permanent solutions in 2011 included safe disposal of hospital waste and enforcement of Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005, regular and open monitoring of ground water, immediate construction of four approved waste water treatment plants for industrial zones, enforcement of rules regarding installation of water treatment plants by industrial sector, shifting of industrial clusters from outside residential localities and etc.
The EPD officials said the main hindrance being faced by them was absence of legal powers to check the polluters. They said the government should make rules pertaining to administrative penalty powers given to EPD officials under PEPA Act 1997, so that officials could use these powers against the polluters.
On the other side, EPD officials said they ran various successful campaigns against pollution besides issuing more than 1,500 Environmental Protection Orders (EPOs), which is a record. They added that special campaigns included action against stone crushers in Taxila and Sargodha, action against rice mills, action against illegal construction near Kalar Kahar Lake and Tharabi Dam in Chakwal District, land acquisition for over 300 tanneries of Sialkot and action against polluters dumping untreated waste water in Rawal Lake.

Published in Daily The News on Saturday, January 08, 2011.

Butterflies on verge of extinction

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: THE population of colourful butterflies has drastically reduced in the provincial capital mainly due to the increasing level of pollution.
This was revealed in a recent study carried out by the Environment Protection Department (EPD), Punjab. The study was an attempt to gauge the impact of rising pollution on the population of butterflies in the provincial capital.
Officials said a meeting of the officers of the EPD, Punjab, was held on March 26, 2010 under the Chairmanship of secretary of the department, Sajjad Saleem, while its Director General Dr Shagufta was also present. The meeting discussed the issue of reduction in number of butterflies in various parks of Lahore.
The EPD secretary deputed a team of the biodiversity section of the department to visit various parks of Lahore and calculate number of butterflies and to observe types/colours and size of the butterflies. The study, he said, would help establish the impact of pollution on butterflies.
Experts say butterflies play a significant role in the ecosystem and are used as indicators of the health of the environment. They say butterflies’ most important role in the environment healthy is pollination of plants. The diet of adult butterflies consists mostly of nectar from flowers and while gathering nectar, they pick pollen and transfer it to neighbuoring flowers and plants, continuing the life cycle of plants that other animals depended on for survival.
Experts are of the opinion that as caterpillars, some butterflies eat aphids in addition to leaves, removing the destructive aphids and help control their population. Some adult butterflies eat rotten fruit, helping to break it down and assisting in the composting process. At the end of their short life, butterflies help the environment simply by providing nourishment to other creatures. Butterflies are an important food source for many animals that play a vital part in the food chain and in the environment, i.e. bats, snakes, birds, lizards, frogs and etc.
Officials said the EPD’s biodiversity team visited six major public parks in the provincial capital, i.e. Lawrence Garden (Bagh-e-Jinnah), Botanical Garden of Government College University, Model Town Park, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Racecourse Park (Jilani Park) and Shalimar Gardens to study butterflies.
Data and statistics, collected by the team, reveal that colorful butterflies are vanishing from these six gardens of the provincial capital, discovering that only five species are seen in the parks. The five species are: Cabbage Butterfly (scientific name Pieris Rapae), Little Yellow, Little Sulphur (Eurema Lisa), Monarch (Danaus Plexippu), Violet Copper (Lycaena Helle) and Iolas Blue (Iolana Iolas/Debilitata).
The team also conducted interviews of gardeners and visitors who stated that they observed white butterflies while other colorful butterflies are scarcely seen. The proof of the fact is that the most common butterfly, which was found in all the six gardens was Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris Rapae). In Lawrence Garden the team found 26 Cabbage Butterflies, 32 in GCU Botanical Garden, 67 in Model Town Park, 11 in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, 39 in Racecourse Park and 35 in Shalimar Gardens.
Team members said that Cabbage Butterfly is a small to medium sized butterfly species of the Yellows and Whites family Pieridae. It has creamy white colour with black tips to the forewings. Females also have two black spots in the center of the forewings. Its under wings are yellowish with black speckles. It is sometimes mistaken for a moth due to its plain-looking appearance.
The second most common butterfly found in all the six parks was Monarch as the team found two Monarch in Lawrence Garden, four in Botanical Garden GCU, seven in Model Town Park, nine in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, eight in Racecourse Park and 10 in Shalimar Gardens.
The upper side of wings of Monarch is tawny orange, the veins and margins are black, and in the margins are two series of small white spots. The fore wings also have a few orange spots near the tip. The underside is similar but the tips of the fore wings and hind wings are yellow-brown instead of tawny-orange and the white spots are larger. The male has a black patch of androconial scales responsible for dispersing pheromones on the hind wings, and the black veins on its wing are narrower than the female’s. The male is also slightly larger.
The third most seen specie was Iolas Blue, which was found 16 in number in four gardens, i.e. Model Town Park (2), Gulshan-e-Iqbal (4), Racecourse (4) and Shalimar Gardens (6). The underside of this species is rather unmarked with only the post discal line of spots being of note. The upper side is a uniform blue with fine black borders in the male and broad black borders in the female.
The biodiversity team of the EPD found 13 Little Yellow, Little Sulphur butterflies in four parks, i.e. Model Town Park (6), Gulshan-e-Iqbal (1), Racecourse (2) and Shalimar Gardens (5). The team found only one Violet Copper in Model Town Park. The team in its finding stated that there were about more than 400 species of butterflies and moths in the country.

Govt departments told to follow environmental laws

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: THE Provincial Planning and Development Department has directed all the public sector departments as well as district governments to strictly follow environmental laws before initiating any kind of public sector projects to avoid future objections, criticism and law suits.
Sources said the Planning and Development Secretary recently directed all the public sector departments as well as the district governments to include provisions of environmental laws while approving development projects. Sources claimed that in past several cases were reported to the P&D in which international donors backed off from the projects or refused to approve them due to non availability of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports of the projects.
Section 12 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA), 1997, has made it mandatory for the public as well as private sector to make initial environmental examination (IEE) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) of every project.
“No proponent of a project shall commence construction or operation unless he has filed with the Federal Agency an initial environmental examination or, where the project is likely to cause an adverse environmental effect, an environmental impact assessment, and has obtained from the Federal Agency approval in respect thereof,” EPD officials said while quoting the Act.
After submission of IEE or EIA report, the federal agency reviews the IEE or EIA reports of the project and issues NOC of approval for the project. It is pertinent to mention here that Section 12 of the Act also made it clear that every review of an environmental impact assessment shall be carried out with public participation
EPD sources revealed that majority of the public sector departments were not aware of the mandatory condition mentioned in PEPA Act 1997 due to which they failed in including IEE or EIA reports in the PC-1 of the projects. Sources said another reason of ignoring environmental laws among the public as well as private sector was that preparing IEE or EIA report increased the project costs due to the hiring of consultants and environmental experts.
According to the gazette notification dated June 13, 2000, the projects required submission of IEE and EIA included poultry, livestock, stud, fish farms, projects involving repacking, formulation or warehousing of agriculture products, hydropower generation projects, thermal power projects, transmission lines, large distribution projects, oil and gas transmission systems, oil and gas extraction projects, including exploration, production, gathering systems, separation and storage, waste-to-energy generation projects, ceramics and glass units, food processing industries, including sugar mills, beverages, mild and dairy products, man-made fibers and resin projects, manufacturing of apparel, dyeing, printing, wood products, smelting plants, commercial extraction of sand, gravel, limestone, clay and sulphur, crushing, grinding and separation processes, federal or provincial highways (except maintenance, rebuilding or reconstruction of existing metal roads), ports and harbor development, dams, reservoirs, irrigation and drainage projects, small-scale irrigation systems, water supply schemes, treatment plants, waste disposal facilities for domestic or industrial wastes, housing schemes, public facilities, urban development projects, nuclear power plants, petroleum refineries, cement plants, chemical plants, fertilizer plants, industrial estates, export processing zones, pesticides, petrochemical complex, textile, plastic products and airports.
When contacted, EPD spokesman claimed that the EPD had initiated a massive training programme for the awareness of public sector departments. He said the department had engaged senior professors of different universities and environmental experts to train government officials. The training programme was being run for a week in a month and two such sessions had already been completed, the spokesman added.
Published in Daily The News on Friday, January 22, 2010.

Citizens pay for delay in landfill project

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: DELAY in the acquisition of land for the first-ever scientific landfill site in the provincial capital is behind dumping of solid waste in the open - a dangerous practice seriously affecting the quality of underground water, air and health of people in adjoining areas.
Presently, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Department of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is disposing of solid waste at three landfill sites located at Mehmood Booti, Baghrian and Sagian Bridge.
CDGL sources revealed that none of the three sites were environment-friendly and were disposing of waste in violation of rules and regulations formulated by the Ministry of Environment. They said all three sites are termed dumping sites and not landfill sites. Sources claimed that only the landfill site of Mehmood Booti is officially declared a landfill site while SWM authorities have unofficially allowed disposal of solid waste and garbage at the two others sites.
Sources said none of the three sites have any liners (sheets of plastics laid in the soil to stop chemicals seeping into ground water) and chemicals from discarded items such as batteries, paints, and cleaners can leach directly into underground aquifers. The chances of contamination of drinking water with benzene, toluene, and vinyl chloride is common near landfills, said a senior officer of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) adding the number of people suffering from diseases because of these open waste dumping sites is on the rise.
EPD sources revealed that some months ago the department conducted a survey of localities near landfill site of Mehmood Booti revealed that almost every third person in families living nearby was suffering from respiratory, abdominal, stomach or other diseases. Most of the people blame contaminated drinking water and unhygienic air for their health problems.
CDGL figures reveal that over 6,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated daily in the provincial metropolis while over 500 tonnes of waste is generated in Lahore Cantonment Board, Model Town Society and Defence Housing Society areas. No proper landfill site exists. The lifting capacity of SWM is only 5,000 tonne and the remaining 1,000 tonne of solid waste and garbage went into city drains or remained scattered on roads. Environmental experts said if a landfill site is constructed ignoring scientific methods then it serves no purpose and such a site was called a dumping ground only. They said a number of adverse effects may occur from such landfill operations. They said these included pollution of local environment (contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers), off gassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes; harbouring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills and nuisance problems (dust, odour, vermin, or noise pollution).
Scientifically, a landfill site should contain a network of drains to collect leachate (liquid released by solid and other waste during decomposition process) and pumping system to pump it to the surface where it can be treated. Ground wells are also drilled into and around the landfill to monitor groundwater quality and to detect any contamination. These safety measures keep ground water, which is the main source of drinking water in many communities, clean and pure, experts said. On the other hand, none of the three landfill sites had such a system.
Experts said the landfill was divided into a series of individual cells to protect the environment. Only a few cells of the site (called the working face) are filled with trash at any one time, minimizing exposure to wind and rain and at the end of each day, workers spread a layer of earth—called the daily cover—over the waste to reduce odour and control vermin population. Workers fill and cap each cell with a layer of clay and earth, and then seed the area with native grasses but in Lahore application of such methods is a only a pipe dream.
When a landfill is full, workers seal and cover the landfill with a final cap of clay and dirt. Workers continue to monitor the ground wells for years after a landfill is closed to keep tabs on the quality of groundwater on and around the site.
Solid Waste Management District Officer Rafique Jatoi told The News that the CDGL was in the process of acquisition of 900 kanals of land in Katcha area. He said the delay was due to legal requirements of getting an NOC from the EPD for which Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report was required. He said the CDGL had engaged NESPAK for carrying out the EIA study of the project, which according to him had been completed and the final EIA report was recently submitted to the EPD for approval. He said the new landfill site will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 500 million and will be the first-ever scientific landfill site in Punjab.
Talking about various types of pollution being generated by the landfill sites, he said all these problems will be solved after the construction of the new scientific landfill site in the city.
Published in Daily The News on Saturday, September 26, 2009.

Pollution--a non issue for the government...No concrete steps taken to curb pollution

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: All kinds of pollution, especially air and water, were on rise throughout the year as policy makers remained busy making presentations and policy papers for higher authorities to tackle the grave concerns, instead of taking some concrete step in this regard.
The problem of urban congestion in the provincial metropolis affected air and water quality while insufficient waste management skills of the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) added the already deteriorating atmospheric condition.
Due to the relatively higher population growth, the absence of public transport services and tremendous increase in the number of privately owned vehicles, high concentrations of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur penetrated in the air, seriously affecting the health of general public.
Short-term and limited campaigns against smoke emitting vehicles and two stroke motorcycle rickshaws failed to improve the air quality.
Another issue of air quality in the city was the excessive presence of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the ambient air. The major sources of the SPM in the city are vehicles, industry, burning of solid waste, brick kilns and natural dust. Unpaved roads and absence of green belts are the originators of Suspended Particulate Matter (PM). The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is responsible for maintaining the green belts but the authority failed to perform its duty except maintaining green belts in posh localities and important roads of the city.
The average SPM concentration in Lahore exceeded 3 times from the Japanese standards (200 ug/m3) and 6 times from WHO guidelines (120 ug/m3), reveals a recent Pak-EPA report prepared after the investigation of air and water quality of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
A slight decrease in the sale of private motor vehicles was witnessed during the year as majority of the banks and leasing companies tightened their rules and regulations. This, however, did not affect the city’s air quality because the number of vehicles plying on the city roads was already very high.
EPD officials said that, amongst all the vehicles, those running on diesel worsened the situation. It is pertinent to mention that, earlier, the government, sensing the alarming increase in pollution, especially air and water pollution in the province, introduced the vision of encouraging the use of clean fuels, green public transport and treatment of industrial effluents but no program in concrete form was implemented.
Scattered solid waste, non-implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005 and sale of hospital waste to the recycling industry in the city were the other problems facing the city’s environment.
The EPD, however, launched a massive operation against the city pathology laboratories but ended the crackdown after issuing mere warnings. Cases of some laboratories were also sent to the tribunal where they were awaiting “legal action” against the violators. No major crackdown on city hospitals, both government and private, was launched for the implementation of the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 by the EPD.
During the year, no practical move was launched to shift light and heavy industrial units established in various residential city localities i.e. Misri Shah, Baghbanpura, Moghalpura, Daroghewala, Bhagat Pura, Chah Miran, Shadbagh and others along the Bund Road and GT Road. These industries included Steel Foundries, Steel Re-rolling Mills, Brick Kilns, Steel Furnaces, Scrap Yards, Plastic Recycling Industry, Marble Grinding, Furniture making and several other kinds of cottage industries. All of these industries are adding to all kinds of pollution, especially air, noise, vibration and heat.
According to a rough estimate, over 700 industrial units, including a major chunk of steel related industries, are causing serious environmental hazards, especially noise and air pollution, in various localities of the northern Lahore. Majority of these industrial units are operating in residential localities posing serious threat to human life.
Besides the residential areas, a good number of industrial and commercial ventures are operating around historical monuments i.e. Shalimar Garden, Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque.
It is pertinent to mention that the CDGLís department of environment served notices to many of these ventures but in vain.
The point of concern is that majority of the industries, especially those related with steel, are using used tyres and sub standard rubber products to keep their machines alive and releases pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides and toxic metals, considered a major source of air pollution in the provincial capital. Small drives were launched against such violators and serious action is still awaited.
During last many years, Marble Grinding and furniture-manufacturing industries have been established in residential areas of Ichra, Ferozpur Road and various other residential localities of Bund Road and Ravi Road. Like this College Road Township has also turned into a mini industrial zone with the establishment of Marble Grinding industry. During the year 2009, no drive was launched against this increasing industrial sector in residential localities.
A good number of industrial units of manufacturing spurious motor oil were established in Badami Bagh while the Rim Market along the historical Lahore Fort is still a serious threat to the biggest archaeological site of the city.
Likewise, the Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area is also surrounded by residential colonies and residents of these localities are daily facing the air and other kinds of pollution of the industries. Another serious threat facing the nearby residents is the discharge of polluted water by the industries in local drains.
Brandreth Road has become the hub of mechanical spare parts while the inner localities like Rehman Gallian, Landa Bazaar, Prem Gallian, Adda Crown have changed into the manufacturing areas of these spare parts. People have installed high temperature furnaces, steel rubbing and polishing and other related cottage industries in their homes. No serious drive was launched to curb the trend.
Gulshan-e-Ravi, a purely residential locality, is also rapidly changing into a cottage industry zone. A large number of machinery-manufacturing units were established in various blocks of this locality, especially those close to the Bund Road. Motor workshops and heavy body vehicle manufacturing is another rapidly increasing industry in this locality. These industries are still working and no legal action has been taken for shifting them outside the city.
As per Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 all industrial units are supposed to obtain NOC from EPD but over 70 per cent units, including industrial units operating in the city, did not bother to fulfil this legal formality. The lack of enforcement of rules to discourage to polluters has made the EPD a toothless tiger.
Published in Daily The News on Saturday, December 26, 2009.

Hospital faces action over waste disposal

By Ali Raza

LAHORE: The Environment Protection Department (EPD) has initiated legal action against a renowned private hospital for disposing of hazardous hospital waste in residential skips on Jail Road, directing all the District Officers (Environment) to start strict monitoring of private hospitals across the province.
Sources in the EPD said, as a first step, the department would issue Environmental Protection Orders (EPO) to the administration of the hospital on Tuesday (today) after which the case would be sent to the Environmental Tribunal.
The EPD spokesman said the department had received a complaint from local residents that Surgimed was disposing of its hazardous medical waste in the local garbage container. He said the issue was immediately referred to the District Officer (Environment) who constituted a team, which inspected the said site and sealed the garbage container.
Sources in the EPD said, after the recent complaint, the department has decided to come hard on the private hospitals, especially those who are not following Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005. They said, so far, the department had served over 750 EPOs to various private and public hospitals while cases of some 200 private and public hospitals were pending in the tribunal.
The sources claimed that the Environment secretary had also contacted the Health Department for the implementation of the HWMR 2005 across the province. They said, under section 12 of the rules, the Health department was supposed to take action against the violators. They said the EPD was initiating action on its own using other provisions of the law.
On the other hand, non-implementation of HWMR 2005 had converted the provincial metropolis into a hub of hospital waste recycling industry, which posed a serious threat to the people as well as the workers involved in this industry. They claimed that only 10 to 15 per cent waste generated by the major city hospitals is incinerated while the rest went to the recycle industry.
Sources said the EPD had already sent notices to majority of the city hospitals for not complying with section 31 of the Pakistan Environment Protection Act (PEPA) of 1997. The section requires all hospitals to dispose of their waste properly, according to the Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) 2005. As per the rules, all hospitals, public or private, are bound to handle and dispose of their waste according to the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005. The EPD sources added the EPOs had already been issued to the Lahore General Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Children Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Services Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Mian Munshi Hospital, etc, under section 16 of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA).
Experts say the re-use of hospital waste poses serious threat to the health of citizens besides the workers and other people affiliated with the recycling industry in Lahore. If infectious waste is not destroyed properly, it will cause many fatal diseases like Hepatitis and AIDS, doctors say adding that the waste also causes skin, respiratory and eye diseases.
Sources revealed that private parties were bringing tons of contagious and infectious hospital waste from across the province in the city for recycling purposes. They said the rackets involved in this illegal trade were bringing hospital waste pack in sacks through trucks.
Majority of the plastic recycling industry is situated along the Bund Road, Shahdara, North Lahore and other far-flung localities. The waste leaked in the open market is supplied to majority of the plastic recycling industry in closed trucks and other vehicles reflecting the ‘strong ties’ of the hospital staffers and the mafia people.
They sources said the plastic industry was manufacturing various items from the recycled hospital waste, like plastic furniture, plastic toys, plastic utensils, bottles and jars, etc. They said the phenomenon was a new revelation for the authorities as earlier it was considered that the hospital waste of local hospitals was leaked out and sold in the local markets to be used in the plastic industry.
They said majority of the factories were established in small houses and converted the hospital waste in small plastic pieces. Many factories are also involved in washing of the used hospital waste such as syringes, urine bags, glucose bottles and blood bags, the sources claimed.
A senior official of the CDGL Environment department said the mafia was involved in sale and purchase of hazardous and infectious hospital waste, earning more than Rs 15 million per day out of which the value of Lahore’s waste was more than Rs 5 million per day. He said only 10 to 15 per cent waste generated by the major city hospitals as incinerated while the rest went to the plastic recycle industry.
All the hospitals, both public and private, are bound to handle and dispose of their waste as per the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005. The sources said majority of the private hospitals, clinics and pathological laboratories operating in the municipal limits were not observing these rules.
Naseemur Rehman, a senior official of the EPD, said the Punjab government had taken up the issue seriously and the department had already directed all the 35 District Officers (Environment) to closely monitor the hospitals in their respective districts. He said, under the EPOs, administrations of the hospitals were directed to improve the cleanliness condition of their respective hospitals within the next ten days. He said the hospitals were directed to implement the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 in true spirit. In case of failure, the EPD would send cases against hospitals in Environmental Protection Tribunal for further action, he said.
Published in Daily The News on Tuesday, January 19, 2010.

Phone towers without NOCs face action

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: THE Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab has decided to come hard on BTS towers installed by the telecommunication companies across the province without getting any NOC from the department.
Sources in the department said that the department had directed its field formations in all districts of the Punjab to start examination of the towers, so that action could be taken against those installed towers for which no NOC was taken from the department. The department has also directed its officials to check those towers which were polluting the local environment by noise, vibration or smoke of their generators.
The EPD sources said according to rules, all the cellular companies desirous to install BTS towers or antennas needed to submit documents to DCO regarding site plan of the proposed site and site details (whether to be installed on rooftop, building premises or open plot). He said the companies also needed to present structural stability certificate from a qualified structural engineer or engineering company registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council and countersigned by the director concerned of the mobile telephone company.
The companies also must submit NOC from Civil Aviation Authority wherever required, affidavit from the concerned owner of the property, detailed design of the tower and ownership proof. They are also required to present NOC from environmental protection authority or district officer environment for that particular location for generator set only.
Tariq Zaman, District Officer (Environment) while talking with The News, said that the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) had also initiated a strong campaign against the installation of BTS towers in residential localities. He said around 1200 to 1500 BTS towers of different telecommunication companies and internet providers had been installed in the city and claimed that about 30 per cent of these were installed without getting any NOC from the CDGL.
He said the CDGL had already proposed the government to discourage installation of BTS Towers in residential areas and they must be installed in commercial or industrial areas. In thickly populated localities, these towers should be installed on the rooftops of big commercial centers, he said.
Published in Daily The News on Friday, February 05, 2010.

End of silence

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: Complete silence is when not the smallest sound is heard and true absolute silence is virtually unattainable in modern-day world. Silence is unattainable even in the remotest areas. Noise increase is a gift of modern-day life. Environmentalists believe noise creates several complex problems and brings in several behavioral changes in humans as well as other living beings.
An environmentalist says there is hardly any place in and around the world where absolute silence is possible and adds attaining `a square inch of silence’ is not less than hitting a jackpot. He says silence is “a precious, underrated commodity facing extinction.”
“Silence keeps one cool and calm while noise does otherwise,” says Dr Tassadduq Ibad Naqvi, an otologist, while talking to this scribe. Noise intensity is measured in decibels (dB). According to WHO, noise level in residential, commercial and industrial areas should be 45dB, 55dB and 65dB. A normal person can bear noise up to 45dB. At 120dB the ear begins to experience pain and this level of noise can also impair hearing if experienced for a long period of time.
He says there is hardly any city part where silence is not more than permissible limits. Honking vehicles, buzz of electronics and industrial and commercial noises have upset city as well as rural life. It has also caused negative impacts on human behavior and psychology.
Citing an example, he says, a motorist stays pleasant and calm while driving on the Motorway while the same person loses control in the city’s traffic mess. This is because of a change in psychological composition of the mind.
“Silence is something one assumes one will always be able to find if one needs it. All one has to do is to drive far enough in the right direction, trek through quiet fields or woods,” says Dr Owais Farooqui, who is chairman of the Task Force of the Environment Protection Department.
Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton defines silence as “the complete absence of all audible mechanical vibrations, leaving only the sounds of nature at her most natural. Silence is the presence of everything, undisturbed,” he maintains.
And silence, Hempton believes, is rapidly disappearing, even in the most remote places. Hempton has circled the earth three times over the past three decades, recording sound on every continent except Antarctica. His work has been used in film soundtracks, videogames, and museums.
He has also trekked through both remote and urban landscapes, measuring decibels and rude interruptions to the noises of nature. Why silence is necessary? Environmentalists say it has become an increasingly rare experience to be in nature as compared to our distant ancestors.
About the effects of silence on human body, Dr Naqvi it makes one sane rather driving one crazy. Recent studies have shown that experience with nature can be as effective as medication in the treatment of several diseases, he maintains.
“Honking vehicles, din of engines, noises of loudspeakers, generators and drum beats are a routine for us,” says Shahid, a resident of Model Town. He says he and his wife have recently visited the Shalamar Gardens to find some peace of mind but found it full of hustle and bustle. He says he suffers from mood swings and headache most of the day because of noise. He says he also gets irritated while walking or driving in the city.
Naseemur Rehman, a senior official of the EPD, says noise level at an average of 75dB has been recorded in Defence Housing Authority, Gulberg and Model Town. He says the average noise level in the industrial areas has been recorded above 120dB. He, however, claims that noise pollution has decreased after a ban on two-stroke rickshaws and admits there is a lot to be done yet.
Publishd in daily The News on Friday, February 12, 2010.

Keenjhar Lake faces environmental degradation

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: Situated at a distance of some 113 km from Karachi and about 20 km from Thatta, Keenjhar Lake, a freshwater lake, having an area of about 145 km, is facing serious environmental degradation.
A visit to the lake with a team of journalists and experts of the WWF-Pakistan some days back revealed that local people are engaged in deforestation and logging activities. The process is leading towards the habitat destruction while pollutants from various sources, including pesticides from agricultural lands and effluents from different industries, pose serious threats to the precious freshwater turtles of the lake. The lake, being a tourist spot, is triggering the situation through water contamination.
With a maximum depth of eight meters, the Keenjhar Lake is located in a stony desert, composed of alternating layers of limestone and sandstone. Historically, it is formed by the union of two lakes � Sonehri and Keenjhar � through the construction of an embankment on their eastern side in 1950s. These two lakes came into being when the River Indus changed its course, cutting off these lakes.
Before the construction of the embankment, the lakes were fed by about a dozen hill torrents on the western side. Later it started getting most of its water from the Indus River through the Kalri Baghar Canal, originating from Kotri Barrage. Several small seasonal streams also fed this lake. The only outlet is through the Jam Branch Canal at the southeast corner of the lake.
The Keenjhar Lake is also known as the largest freshwater lake of the country. The locals, residing around the lake, are using water for their daily consumption while the lake is also the main source of water supply to Karachi and parts of the Thatta district.
The lake was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1977 under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1972. The sanctuary has a buffer zone of five kilometres. It has also been designated as Ramsar site in 1976. The lake has a rich flora of submerged, floating and emergent aquatic plants such as Potamogeton spp, Najas minor, Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea spp, Cyperus spp, Phragmites spp, Typha spp etc. They provide both food and shelter to fauna species. Many birds reside in the thick growth of Typha and Phragmites. The land around the lake has a rich diversity of semi-aquatic to dry land plant species.
The Keenjhar Lake is an important breeding and wintering area for a wide variety of terrestrial and migratory birds. Breeding birds include night-heron, cotton teal, pheasant tailed jacana, purple moorhen and some passerines. Cotton teal has disappeared in the recent years and has not been seen on the lake for a few years. Mammals include jackals, fox, porcupine, mongoose and small rodents. Pangolin has also been seen. Among reptiles, snakes like cobra and saw-scaled viper are common. Monitor lizards and spiny-tailed lizards are also found here.
About 50,000 people are dependent on this fresh water lake and a total of 800 fishing crafts are operating in the area. The fishermen have their own fishing territories.
The lake is facing heavy pollution due to pesticides, which are widely used in the nearby cultivated areas. People have livestock, especially buffaloes, goats and cows, and they graze them in the buffer zone and around the lake.
Due to the decline in fisheries, some people are also involved in the mining of stones from the nearby stony hills. Some communities are also earning income from the local tourists coming from Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta for recreational purpose. They have speedboats and they usually charge Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per day based on the time and trip. The boats do not have any safety gears, therefore, lots of accidents have occurred. People also grow rice, sugarcane, maize and vegetables in the buffer zone and adjacent areas of the lake.
It is pertinent to mention here that scores of hunters, particularly during the winter season, visit the lake to shoot migratory birds. This poses a serious threat to the wild animals around Keenjhar. Similarly, wild boar hunting with dogs and guns also disturbs the existing wildlife in the area.
In some areas of the Indus Eco-region, Indian otter is considered a blessing among the poor fishermen. The otter helps in catching fish in the nets. Due to this role, some fishermen keep tamed otters but now these are extinct in Keenjhar. The major threat to Indian otter is trapping and poaching for its skin. Secondly, the fish farmers kill the animal and get the dual benefit by selling its skin. The WWF-Pakistan has demanded the Government of Sindh check the animal�s hunting so that it could survive in Keenjhar.
The lake is facing the scarcity of freshwater over years due to which the population of freshwater turtles is adversely affected, thus the natural balance of aquatic ecosystem is disturbed. Local people are heavily engaged in deforestation and logging activities. This is leading towards the habitat destruction for the associated fauna. Use of the lake as a tourist spot is another source of pollution for its water. More than 15,000 people from Karachi visit the lake weekly.
Published in Daily The News on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Chotiari lakes threatened by water reservoir

By By Ali Raza
LAHORE: ONE of the most diverse wetland sites in the country, Chotiari lakes, has been turned into a big water reservoir, posing a serious threat to the environment of the area besides causing extinction of several local animal and bird species.
In the past, the Chotiari lakes area was characterised by wetlands, riverine forests, desert scrubs and sand dunes, which provided an ecological richness, and was considered a haven for migratory birds, hog-deer, local species of crocodile, and a variety of fish species. These lakes also supported grazing, fishing and agricultural activities of indigenous people but after the construction of reservoir, the area lost its natural beauty and features.
Spreading over an area of around 1,800 hectares, Chotiari is situated in the Thar Desert around 30-35 km northwest of District Sanghar in Sindh. The aim of constructing the reservoir was to provide water for irrigation purposes to the tail end areas of Nara Canal, i.e. Omer Kot, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar districts.
Presently, the presence of plenty of water has turned the once fertile agricultural land on its western and southern banks into waterlogged and uncultivable areas. Over 35 settlements, especially the one on the sand dunes within the reservoir area which were housing fishermen, have submerged under five to 30 feet water, ruining the existing rangelands and resulting in the loss of biodiversity and fodder for livestock that has been a major livelihood source for people of the area.
Owing to the rising water and associated salinity of the non-cropped areas, fallow land is decreasing while abandoned land is increasing. As a result, farmers are forced to intensify cropping on their best land.
Increased water supplies initially increased the cropped area but at the expense of decreasing the non-cropped area, which reduced the dry drainage effect and allowed the water table to rise. Some areas have already reached a point where pockets of cultivated land are surviving because they are surrounded by a saline waste.
Widespread deforestation for agriculture expansion and to meet growing demand of firewood in the nearby Sanghar city and indiscriminate use of pesticides on agricultural crops have also been a threat to the flora and fauna of the area.
The reservoir has also disturbed the habitat of the unique wildlife species found in the area, especially marsh crocodile. Two important species, the gavial and the smooth coated otter, are on the verge of extinction. Hog deer is another endangered species of the area - degradation and shrinkage of its habitat is one of the main reasons for the decline in the hog deer population.
Majority of the residents of the nearby localities of the reservoir are followers of Pir Sahib of Pagaro - the spiritual guide of Hurs who had revolted against the colonial rulers - and are not happy with the construction of the reservoir. Some of them were those who have lost their land and still running from pillar to post to get the promised compensation.
They say that the long and high embankments and dykes built to convert different lakes into a single reservoir has disturbed the natural flow of water into the lakes and spoiled the water quality in some of the lakes.
An uneven supply of water into the reservoir has not been instrumental in increasing the production of fish in the area. When the water level goes down, the fish production also declines. There has been decreased fish catch due to the loss of flora in the reservoir, which has had a significant impact on the livelihood of the fishermen.
The biological diversity of the area has drawn the attention of WWF-Pakistan, which has launched a special programme for the rehabilitation of the natural beauty of the area under its Indus for All programme. Environmental experts of the WWF say that richness of biodiversity of the area is especially prominent in birds, small mammals and reptiles/amphibians with 80 bird, 26 small mammal and 31 reptile and amphibian species.
Due to this project, families living in the area for many generations have been forced to vacate their land and traditional way of life in the name of progress. Herdsmen who for generations used the lakes fringes as pastures had moved away in search of grazing sites, resulting in increasing grazing pressure on other areas.
Fishing communities harmonised with the ecology of the lakes were stranded on the shores of the vast reservoir. With substantial increase in water level of the lakes, several grass and tree species were drowned, which have changed the natural eco-system forever.
In the past, Pakistan Network for Rivers, Dams and People (PNRDP) Sindh also raised serious objections over the construction of the reservoir under an independent study carried out in 1998. They said the Chotiari Reservoir Project was designed to increase the storage capacity of lakes in district Sanghar in order to increase the irrigation discharge for agriculture in Umarkot district. They said the reservoir had flooded an area of approximately 100 square miles besides submerging over 40 villages and some 45,000 acres of cultivated or grazing land.
Published in Daily The News on Thursday, November 12, 2009.

Pai forest on verge of extinction

By Ali Raza
LAHORE: Once known for royal visitors and high-profile personalities, the Pai forest in the Nawabshah district, Sindh, is facing serious threat of extinction due to continuous intrusion of land grabbers and water scarcity.
This was revealed to a delegation of the Forum of Environment Journalist Pakistan (FEJP) during a visit to the Pai forest along with a team of WWF-Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that Nawabshah is the hometown of President Asif Ali Zardari.
The forest, which is spread over 1,933 hectors, is rich in flora and fauna with diverse wildlife. It is a protected area and a part of the Indus eco-region that has been identified as one of 40 biologically richest eco-regions in the world.
Officials of the WWF-Pakistan working for the conservation of this centuries old man-made forest revealed that around 250 acres of the forest has been encroached upon by the influential of the area while the Sindh government allotted 150 acres to the Army and 140 acres to the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, clearly violating the spirit of ‘protected area’.
According to the available figures, there are 23 villages around the forest, having a population of over 30,000 that adds extra pressure on the forest because locals also grab land to cultivate cash crops. This is because their traditional livelihood based on livestock is reduced and does not pay well in comparison to cash crops.
It was also revealed that the local villagers were also found involved in cutting of forest for fuel-wood, significantly contributing to the destruction of the forest and ecosystem.
The Pai forest is also known as a riverine forest but, presently, water-scarcity is also a major issue contributing to the slow death of this beautiful forest. Officials of WWF-Pakistan said that after the construction of flood protection bund on the Indus River, the forest has turned into an irrigated forest. It has been cut off from the riverine areas and made an inland forest. This inland forest is situated outside the river embankments.
Hence, its reliance on regular inundation from the Indus River has been shifted to control supply of water from the Rohri Canal.
It was also revealed that 30 cusecs of water per month is approved for this forest to keep it alive but the supply of water is not more than 7 to 8 cusecs per month, which is only irrigating around 25 percent of the forest.
The agony of water-starved forest is exacerbated by plantation of eucalyptus trees, water-consuming specie as the Sindh Forest Department planted these trees without any future vision. Officials of the WWF-Pakistan claimed that the trees were planted to show quick progress of work of the Sindh Forest Department in the forest.
The seriousness of the Sindh government towards one of the important eco-regions of the world can be gauged from the fact that not a single staffer of the Sindh Forest Department was seen at the site. There are ruins of a forest department’s staff colony that shows that, in the distant past, there used to be forest department staff in the Pai Forest. Abandoned rusty tube wells, partly used for irrigating the forest, are also a common sight, reflecting the commitment of the Sindh government toward conserving the important ecosystem of the region.
There are no practical efforts taken by the Sindh Forest Department for the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife and forest’s habitat. Important wildlife of the area includes hog deer, partridges, Asiatic jackals, jungle cat, porcupine, wild boar, snakes etc.
According to the WWF official, hunting was permitted through licenses to protect indigenous wildlife population, but the limit was rarely adhered to and indiscriminating hunting was common. This posed a threat to the population of hog deer and partridges. Hence, for the last over two year, no license has been issued for hunting.
Some locals told that the number of hog deer, gray partridges, wild boars, jackals, jungle cats, Bengal foxes and mongooses were fast declining in the Pai forest due to poaching by influential people. They claimed that only a few hog deer were left in the entire forest. A large number of hog deer have been hunted by feudal lords and bureaucrats, while high-profile foreign personalities, particularly from the Middle East, are also invited to hunt animals in this game reserve.
Gray partridges are being over hunted, and the influential of the area break the sanctioned hunting limit often. Every year, new beats are made in the forest for hunting. This involves levelling the land in selected forest areas and planting new trees. Cotton is grown in these levelled areas, since pests which attack cotton tend to attract partridges, who feed on them, they said, adding there were now hardly any black partridges at all in the forest.
To lessen the pressure on the forest from the local communities, the WWF-P introduced Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and, at present, around 14 CBOs are working in villages adjacent to the forest, which are funded by the Dutch government. The purpose is to create awareness about the importance of the forest ecosystem and provide alternate means of income and source of energy. CBOs are providing vocational training to females and running bio-gas plants in different villages around the forest.
The Nawabshah district coordination officer (DCO) admitted all the above-mentioned facts, but said the PAI forest was controlled by the Sindh Forest Department, so he could not take measures to stop the ongoing land grabbing in the protected area. He also showed his inability to resolve the issue of release of sanctioned water to the forest.
Published on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.

The Innovation Journalism Blog: How to Report on Environmental Innovation / Cleantech

The Innovation Journalism Blog: How to Report on Environmental Innovation / Cleantech

63 labs issued notices for violating rules

By Ali Raza

LAHORE: THE City District Government Lahore (CDGL) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) have issued warning notices to 63 pathological laboratories including those operating in some top ranking hospitals of the provincial metropolis for not following the Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) 2005.
The campaign against pathological laboratories which were not following the HWMR 2005 started last week on the directions of EPD Secretary Sajjad Saleem who constituted eight inspection teams.
The notices were issued to Dr. Najam Sehar Butt of Najam Hospital (122-Jehanzaib Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Dr. Aasia Asghar of Doctors Inn Clinic (135-Jahanzaib Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Dr. Javaid Khan of Khan Hospital (01-Chenab Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Major ( R) Dr. Rahat Hussain of Rahat Laboratory (25-Jehanzaib Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Mrs. Amtul Aleem Awaan of Hussain Memorial Hospital (105-Multan Road), Dr. Farooq Saeed Khan of Farooq Hospital (02-Asif Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Captin Dr. M. Shafique of Al-Shafi Hospital (15-Gulshan Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Mrs. Sameera Tahir of Singapur Medical Centre (10-Gulshan Block, Allama Iqbal Town), Dr. Zafar Ullah Malik of Zinis Laboratory (8-Gulshan Block, Allama Iqbal Town and 99-Multan Road), Dr. Abdul Rasheed Qureshi of Zeshan Lab (303-Azeem Building, Ravi Road opposite Lady Willington Hospital), Dr. Ramzan of Axal Lahore Lab (Dr. Rizwan Complex Opp. Meo Hospital), Dr. Tanveer-ul-Islam of Nisar Lab near Alfalah Bank, Wassanpura, Dr. Samia of Shifa Lab (63-Nisbat Road), Dr. Abdul Wadood of Pride Lab (Basement New Mehmood Medical Store, Meo Hospital), Sulman Chughtai of Sulman Chughtai Lab (Opp. Emergency Gate, Meo Hospital), Dr. Zafar Iqbal of Shalimar Lab (Shalimar Link Road), Dr. Shakeel of Mushtaq Hospital & Lab (Main Link Shalamar Road), Mrs. Shazia Hameed of Shazia Hameed Lab (Opp. Shalimar Hospital, Link Shalamar Road), Dr. Maryam of Viral Lab (106-Habitat Flat, Jail Road), Dr. Shahid Mehmood of Royal Clinical Laboratory (89-C, Jail Road), Raza Ijaz of Rana Hospital (15-B, Shadman-II, Jail Road), Dr. Muhammad Khalid of Hormon Lab (104-Habitat Flat, Jail Road), Imran Raza Zaidi of Raza Medical Complex (10-C Shadman-II, Opp: Punjab institute of Cardiology, Jail Road), Dr. Muhammad Sajjad Baqar of Capital Lab (127-Habitat Flat, Shadman-II, Jail Road), Dr.Mazhar Iqbal of Ormapadic Medical Complex (Opp Kinnaired College, Jail Road), Dr. Akhtar Sohail Chughtais of Chughtais Lahore Lab, Dr. Abdul Aziz Rana of Ommar Hospital (Opp Kinnaired College, Jail Road), Dr. Akhtar Ali of Cardex Hospital (Opp Kinnaired College, Jail Road), Dr. Shaheena Asif of Surgimed Hospital (1-Zafar Ali Road), Fahdel Sheikh of Aadil Hospital (Main Boulevard D.H.A), Humayun Rasheed of Rasheed Hospital (Main Boulevard D.H.A), Jamil Arshad Chaudhry of Prime Care Hospital (Main Boulevard Defense), Ahtisham-ud-Din Qureshi of Test Care Labs (71-A, HBFC Project, opposite Allama Iqbal Medical College, Jinnah Hospital), Dr. Tauqeer Akhtar of Clin lab (517-A, Faisal Town), Dr. M. Munir of M/S Central Lab (532-A, Faisal Town), Dr. Nehal Ahmad Khan of Nehal Medical Center(519-Faisal Town), Naveed Asif Azeem and Mohsin Hadeed of A.K. Medical Laboratories (518-A, Faisal Town, Opp Jinnah Hospital), Dr. Mujtaba Jaffary of Times Hospital & Medical Centre (146-A Faisal Town), Feroz Rasool of The Aga Khan University, Dr. Shahzad S. Qureshi of Indus Lab (100-A, Shadman-I), Dr. Shahnaz Saeed Hassan of Naz Hospital & Lab (6-A, Link Shadman Road), Dr. Liaqat of Gillani Hospital (59-Riwaz Garden), Dr. Muhammad Ihsan of Ihsan Hospital (17-Shah Jamal), Naveed Anwar (Administrator) of Surayya Azeem (Waqf) Hospital (Chouburji Chowk), Dr. Zeenat of Zeenat Medical Laboratory (Pvt) Ltd (34-Lawrance Road), Dr. Irfan-ul-Haq of Haq Orthopedic (18-Sanda Road), Dr. Nayyar Islam Ch of Aadil Hospital (Kareem Park, Ravi Road), Dr. Mehboob Qadar of Al-Khursheed Laboratory (Timber Market, Ravi Road), Dr. Fahmidah Ch of Nawab Hospital (18-C, Timber Market, Ravi Road), Dr. Hasim Raza of Shama Hospital (Bagh Munshi Ladha, Kacha Ravi Road), Dr. Zafarullah Malik of Zinis Lab (241-Riwaz Garden), Qaisar Ameen Butt (Chief Executive) of Bazma Ahbab (78-Moulana Ahmed Ali Road), Dr. M. Lateef of Fatima Memorial Hospital (Shadman), Prof. Dr. Saleem Akhtar of Shadman Hospital (725-Shadman), Dr. A.S Chughtai of Chughtai Lahore Lab (8-Jail Road, Main Gulberg), Dr. Javaid Aslam Bhindar of Ammar Medical Complex (8-Jail Road, Gulberg), Dr. Irshad Ahmed Naveed of Poly Test Lab (729-Shadman), Mumtaz Khan of Labone (5/64-A, Usman Block, New Garden Town), Dr. Amer Waheed of Hi-Tech. Diagnostics (514-A, Faisal Town, Opp Jinnah Hospital), Dr. Sohail Chughtais of Chughtais Lahore Lab (513-, Faisal Town, Opp Jinnah Hospital), Dr. Khalid Mehmood of Citi Lab. & Research Centre (252-A, Maulana Shaukat Ali Road Faisal Town) and Dr. Shahid Raza Bokhari of Bokhari Laboratories (538-A, Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, Faisal Town).
The notices issued to these hospitals read that whereas the District Office Environment Lahore conducted a survey for checking compliance of the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 and found that your pathological laboratory/clinic/ hospital was a source of environmental nuisance. It further said that it had been confirmed through the site survey that your pathological laboratory/clinic/hospital was responsible for various Environmental Offences and illegalities as the provisions of the Hospital Waste Management Rules -2005 were not being adopted.
It said that the entity had no license for hazardous waste management, which was prerequisite and mandatory u/s 14 of the Pakistan Environment Protection Act-1997 while no waste management committee and waste management plan/system existed. The letter said that hazardous waste collection, handling and disposal system was not satisfactory and the record maintenance of generation of infectious waste did not exist. The letter further said that house keeping/ hygienic system was not satisfactory and focal person for Hospital waste Management inquires had not been designated.
The letter added that now therefore in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 7 (f) of the Act ibid, you were hereby summoned to explain your position in person or through counsel before the undersigned with submission of written defence on the afore-mentioned allegations. In case of failure, the proceeding shall be initiated against you for violation of section 14 and the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005 for penalization u/s 17(2) of the Act ibid, the letter concluded.
District Officer (Environment), CDGL Tariq Zaman, talking with The News, said the above mentioned doctors, owners and administrators of these laboratories were issued summons under section 7(f) of the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997 which read with the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005.
He said the campaign was launched after the CDGL received various complaints that majority of the pathological laboratories were not following HWMR 2005. He said the campaign comprised over two parts i.e. issuing of warning notices to those who were not following the rules and, in the second phase, the CDHL would install warning boards outside every pathological laboratory in the city containing complete procedure to dispose of syringes, blood bags and other items. He said numbers of the concerned authorities would also be written on these boards so that the patients could contact them in case they witnessed any irregularity in the prescribed procedure.
Published in Daily The News on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.