LAHORE: The Ravi Bachao Tehreek organised its third annual Ravi Yatra, a journey of resistance and remembrance dedicated to the protection of the River Ravi, bringing together the citizens, activists, farmers, fisherfolk, lawyers, artists and environmentalists the other day.

The participants walked, sang and spoke for the right of the river to flow freely and the right of people to protect their natural heritage.

This year’s Ravi Yatra has put forward three urgent demands. One of the demands is that sewage should be treated before entering the Ravi, unchecked dumping of industrial and municipal waste into the river must stop and clean water is a fundamental right of the people and the land. The other demands included end to all development projects, including Ruda, arguing that the Ravi is not an empty space for real estate ventures as it is a living ecosystem, home to communities and wildlife.

The activists say the projects like Ruda displace people, destroy farmland and threaten the very existence of the river. Ravi Yatra has demanded revision of the Indus Water Treaty from a river and environment-focused perspective. It says that the current treaty does not take into account the ecological health of rivers or the needs of the people dependent on them.

During the Yatra, the Ruda representatives allegedly interrupted the protest, issuing false narratives and trying to claim ownership of the idea of ‘Ravi conservation’. The organizers of the Yatra said the Ruda action was a blatant violation of legal and democratic right to assembly, free speech, and peaceful protest of the people, adding despite these attempts, the people’s voices were louder.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025