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THE Ravi has been a source of life and well-being for the people of the districts of Lahore, Sahiwal, Vehari, Khanewal, Multan and beyond, but today the river has turned into a stream of life-threatening and dangerous liquid for humans, animals and aquatic life.
Nearly half a million tonne of pollution load is being dumped in the Ravi yearly (1,365 tonnes per day, according to a study conducted in 2008-09. This quantity has gone up during the last six years as the authorities have reportedly not taken any remedial measure since then.
Six years ago, the survey carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that at 21 different sites the river water was contaminated with sewage, dirt and all kinds of poisonous effluents.
Dangerous chemicals are polluting the Ravi.
It was found to contain dangerous chemicals of different kinds of metals and salts, such as sulphide, sulphate, cyanide and iron, at levels beyond internationally acceptable limits. At these locations, the values of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids exceeded standard limits.
Lahore, with its large population and industrial units, is the major culprit in contaminating the waterway. The city district adds 0.27 million tonnes per year of filth and garbage to the river, as per the EPA study.
The city and suburbs of Lahore have grown around eight major natural nullahs which flowed for centuries to drain out rainwater. These former storm drains have been turned into sewerage channels and carry more than 700 billion litres of untreated municipal and industrial waste water in one year to the Ravi, which constitutes a hazard to the health of humans, indeed, all forms of life.
In 2008-09, the EPA found the dissolved oxygen level in the river was above 6 mg per litre from Narowal to Ravi Siphon upstream Lahore. At Shahdara this level drops to 4 mg per litre, the minimum level required for the survival of aquatic life, and to 2 mg per litre at Lahore.
The EPA’s study showed the river was devoid of dissolved oxygen through most of its reach between Lahore and Upper Chenab canal under low-flow conditions when dilution of pollutants is not possible.
Although no scientific study has apparently been conducted to figure out the census along with the state of health of whatever fish is left in the Ravi an educated guess is that fish caught near Lahore contain concentration of metals. Use of contaminated water for agricultural purposes has made metals part of the food chain.
Yet another great hazard is the fact that the solid waste collected from the urban areas of Lahore is dumped along the river bank. Some of the solid waste finds its way into the sewer system and a part of it appears in the outfall drains, especially in the days of high floodwater levels.
The industrial cities of Faisalabad and Sheikhupura are two other major contributors of pollution to the Ravi. Five different link canals joining the Ravi along its length at various locations bring into it the wastewater from the industrial areas of Sheikhupura and Faisalabad districts.
According to the EPA study, Faisalabad contributes 28,470 tonnes, Sheikhupura 181,040 and Sahiwal 1515 tonnes of the pollution load per year to the river.
Agricultural run-off is another issue. Extensive and indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilisers in the river’s surrounding areas results in the leaching of such chemicals during heavy rainfall. Specific data was unavailable but it can be safely assumed that these discharges result in excess concentrations of toxins in fish.
Damage to river systems and degradation of water quality lead to long-term economic losses and affect the population’s quality of life as a whole. A variety of toxic chemicals, metals and pathogens brought by untreated waste water are causing health issues to the people who use the Ravi water not only for irrigation but for drinking as well.
There is primarily one solution for cleaning the river ie the treatment of sewage and industrial waste water before draining it into the river. In Punjab, at present, there are only two treatment plants — one in Faisalabad and the other in Multan. Both are partial treatment units that separate only solid waste from the waste water, not all pollutants.
The toothless Environment Protection Authority (EPA) needs to be armed with powers of prosecution to enforce the law on industrial units and factories in Lahore, Faisalabad and Sheikhupura so that they treat their waste waters before allowing them to flow into nullahs. Also, dumping of solid waste along the banks of the Ravi must be checked.
The cost of neglecting river pollution can be huge and will be borne by the generations to come.
The writer is a Lahore-based freelance journalist and researcher.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2015
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