ISLAMABAD, Sept 19: Like last year, nature has come to the rescue of Manchhar Lake this year as heavy monsoon rains over Sindh have washed away contamination and restored for the time being the major source of fresh water supply to the lake.

“The calamity of rains has saved Manchhar Lake once again,” Additional Attorney General K.K. Agha told a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani.

The bench had taken up complaints regarding rising pollution due to disposal of effluent from MNV (Main Nara Valley) drain now converted into RBOD-I (Right Bank Outfall Drain) that deprived thousands of fishermen of their source of livelihood.

Environmentalists believe that rising pollution is leading Manchhar Lake, one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes, towards a painful death.

Some reports suggest the oldest inhabitants of Sindh called Mohanas usually live on boats and rely on fishing, bird hunting, net making, boat making and farming but the alarming level of toxic particles in the lake has forced them to abandon their profession.

Sindh Chief Secretary Raja Mohammad Abbas suggested in a comprehensive report that catchments areas of the lake, like Lukhy Range and Kaccho area spread over Sindh and Balochistan, experienced adequate rainfall during the current monsoon season. It has restored the major source of fresh water supply to the lake and filled it up to 116.5 feet with fresh rainwater, its maximum level being 117 feet.

“The nature has resolved the issue of contamination of water of the lake for a considerable span of time probably for at least a year,” the report claimed.The attorney general assured the court that he would request the federal government to release the first tranche of Rs1.3 billion out of the Rs5 billion allocated for completion and commissioning of RBOD-II.

Since RBOD-I is also in the close proximity of Haleji Lake, it poses a direct threat to the wetland, once called a birdwatchers' paradise. The lake is already under severe stress because of inadequate water.

Earlier, the federal government had accepted Sindh government's request for Rs5 billion to develop RBOD-II and had suggested re-appropriation from other ongoing projects.

In response, the Sindh government referred the matter back to it for reconsideration stating that re-appropriation would mean putting constraints on other projects which were equally important. Alternatively it put a request of release of Rs1.3 billion as first quarter.

Engineering experts believe that the extension of RBOD-II to the sea from Sehwan is the only viable solution for the disposal of effluent from RBOD-I. The project was conceived in late 1990s at a cost of Rs29 billion. Sixty per cent of the work has been completed but subsequent work was suspended when fund releases were curtailed to Rs1.5 billion.

Referring to the treatment of RBOD effluent, the Sindh chief secretary's report said that Wapda had proposed installation of five treatment plants on the MNVD before it enters Manchhar Lake. As a first step a pilot treatment plant has been launched for which a feasibility report costing Rs3.3 billion has been cleared by the Central Development Working Party of the Planning Commission and now awaits approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

In addition, 12 desalination plants will be installed in the Manchhar Lake/RBOD area. Six of them will be installed and maintained by Wapda from its own resources and the rest by the Sindh government.

Three desalination plants have been installed and are under operation and about 3,000 gallons of potable water is being distributed among fishermen, though the supply was disturbed because of a fault in the system during the current rainy season.