LAHORE Majority of underground water aquifer of the provincial metropolis is highly polluted as the entire municipal waste, which is collected through a network of 14 main drains, is being discharged into the Ravi River without any treatment. Secondly, the industrial waste is directly discharged into the canal system by 271 industrial units including textile, chemical, food processing, pulp and paper, poultry, dairy, plastic, paint, pesticides, leather, tanneries and pharmaceuticals. This was revealed in a report “Situation Analysis of the Water Resources of Lahore”, prepared by WWF-Pakistan. The report was officially launched here Tuesday in a ceremony. The report was prepared as a European Union (EU) funded project City-wide Partnership for Sustainable Water Use and Water Stewardship in SMEs in Lahore, Pakistan. The project aims to promote water efficient production and consumption practices in the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the implementation of Best Water Management Practices (BWMPs). The report revealed that the second biggest source of pollution is the Hudiara Drain. It said currently, there are around 100 industries located along the Hudiara Drain, which discharge wastewater directly into the Ravi River. Most of these industries are low-polluting, with 30-35 industries, categorised as high polluting, including textile processing units, carpet industries, tanneries, food processing units and dairies. The report said that in general, the groundwater quality is good near the Ravi and gradually deteriorates in the south and south-western direction. Many studies have found higher arsenic levels (50 parts per billion) in pumped groundwater in Lahore. The quality of shallow groundwater is generally considered poor as these tube wells are adversely affected by seepage from sewerage/drainage systems. It claimed that since Wasa extracts water from deep tube wells (200 m), the quality of pumped groundwater is relatively good. In the surrounding areas of Lahore, arsenic concentration is much higher than the WHO standard. Identifying the water sources of the provincial capital, the report stated that the total surface water diverted to Lahore is 6.02 million cubic metre per day (MCM/day) and is mainly used for agricultural purposes. The Bambawala-Ravi-Badian-Deplapur (BRBD) Canal mainly feeds the command area of Upper Bari Doab Canal on the Pakistan side of the Pak-India border. The Upper Bari Doab Canal irrigates command areas of Lahore Branch, Khaira distributary, Butcher Khana distributary, Main Branch Lower and other smaller channels. The remaining flow of the BRBD Canal supplements Depalpur Canal. It added that the groundwater for drinking purposes is extracted from a depth of 120-200 metres (m). It is pumped for Lahore’s domestic, industrial and commercial purposes. In order to deal with the vagaries of surface water supplies, more than 10,000 tube wells have been installed for agricultural purposes. The average annual rainfall of Lahore is 715 mm. However, its recharge to groundwater in urban areas is minimal due to urbanization. In general, groundwater discharge is higher than recharge, which is the main reason for the rapid depletion of groundwater in the city. About the domestic use of water, it stated that the water supply for domestic and industrial uses mainly comes from the groundwater. Wasa supplies drinking water to more than 6.0 million people by means of 484 tube wells. These tube wells are located in different areas and their depth varies between 150 to 200 m. Over time, water demand has increased from 180 litres per capita per day (lpcd) in 1967 to 274 lpcd in 2013. The total groundwater extraction from these 484 tube wells is about 2.2 million cubic metres per day (MCM/day). Wasa tube wells run 14-18 hours per day and water is distributed from source to households through a network of 7,700 km long water supply lines and 600,000 connections. Only 78 per cent of households in the Wasa serving area are connected to the piped water whereas in non-Wasa areas this facility is available to 50 per cent of households. The remaining 50 per cent of households get water from hand pumps, public water stand posts or directly through groundwater pumping by using small suction pumps. In the absence of any municipal water act or water-right law, groundwater is pumped indiscriminately by private housing schemes and industry. Private housing societies pump 0.37 MCM/day to supply water to their residents. In areas where the water supply network is not available, estimated extraction is 0.35 MCM/day. Therefore, the total groundwater extracted by private housing schemes is approximately 0.71 MCM/day. The water in rural areas of Lahore is supplied by PHED. About the industrial, commercial and agriculture use of ground water, the report revealed that there are 2,700 registered industries in Lahore, out of which 75 per cent (2025) are categorised as large scale factories, which are the main users of groundwater. The textile industry makes up 20 per cent of the total industry and uses 69 per cent of the total industrial water consumption. Textile spinning, textile processing and textile weaving are the major consumers of water. The rest is shared by the chemical sector (10 per cent), the paper industry (5 per cent), the food industry (5 per cent) and other industries (11 per cent). Others include electronic, marble, leather, steel and paper industries. The analysis of this study shows that groundwater extraction for industries is in the order of 0.92 MCM/day (335MCM/year). For commercial and institutional water uses (hospitals, educational institutes, mosques, shops and restaurants, public parks, offices, bus stands, railway stations and other similar places), Wasa has provided 32,500 connections. Generally, water for commercial and institutional use is considered around 20 per cent of the domestic water use. Therefore, water usage for commercial purposes for Lahore city is estimated to be 0.77 MCM/day (277 MCM/year). The total surface water diverted to Lahore for irrigation is 6.02 MCM/day. However, water available for agricultural use is only 3.0 MCM/day as the rest is lost en-route as seepage from main and distributary canals, percolation losses from watercourses and farmer fields. In addition, about 10,000 tube wells are also pumping groundwater for agricultural use. The total groundwater extraction from these tube wells is estimated to be 1.70 MCM/day (623 MCM/year). Regarding water collection and disposal, the report stated that the wastewater generation in Lahore is estimated at 231 litres per capita per day (Wasa report, 2013). The total generation of wastewater is about 8.0 MCM/day and almost all is disposed of into the Ravi without any treatment (JICA, 2010). Some industries discharge their wastewater on land or in soakage pits which results in groundwater pollution. For the disposal of wastewater, Wasa has installed 12 major disposal stations with a total discharge capacity aquifer. The difference between recharge and discharge is 0.67 MCM/day (247 MCM/year), which is equivalent to a 55cm (0.55m) per year drop in aquifer levels. It should be noted that this water table drop is averaged over the whole Lahore district area. However, in urban parts of the city, the water table drop may be higher due to excessive pumping and insignificant recharge. In rural areas, where recharges from the irrigation system and agricultural fields are substantial, a decline in the water table may be less significant. Foreseeing the future challenges, the report added that the population of Lahore is expected to increase to about 22 million by 2025, out of which 84 per cent will most likely be living in urban areas. This massive increase in population during the next decade is expected to put enormous pressure on water, sanitation, energy, transport, education and health sectors. Provision of housing will be a major problem in most urban areas. Inflow of migrants from neighbouring rural areas will exert extra pressure on the economy as more people enter the job market. Analysis of groundwater quality and its availability showed that due to excessive pumping, the water table depth in the central part of the city has gone below 40 m, and it is projected that by 2025 the water table depth in most areas will drop below 70m. If present trends continue, the situation will become even worse by 2040, when the water table depth in a significant part of the study area will drop below 100m or more. Extraction of water from these depths will not be technically or financially feasible. In addition there will be a growing risk of deterioration of groundwater quality. The wastewater discharged into the Ravi contains liquid and solid waste from domestic, industrial, and commercial premises, including but not limited to toilet waste, grey water (household wastewater of kitchens, bathrooms and laundries), sludge, trade wastes and gross solids. The Babu Sabu drain is the largest contributor of organic load to the River Ravi (154.7 tons/day) while Shahdara drain is the lowest contributor with only 3.27 tons/day. According to estimates, approximately 730 tons/day of Biological Oxygen Demand load is added to the Ravi. The total groundwater discharge from the aquifer for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes is 7.17 MCM/day (2,619 MCM/year). Except for partial reliance of the agricultural sector on surface water resources, all other sectors (domestic, industrial and institutional) are totally banking on groundwater to meet their demands. The largest share (53 per cent) of this extracted water is consumed by the domestic sector. The industrial sector consumes 13 per cent, agriculture uses 24 per cent and the remaining 10 per cent is consumed by the institutional sector. The average recharge to groundwater is 6.50 MCM/day (2,372 MCM/year). The recharge from the River Ravi is estimated to be 1,937 MCM/year, from canals 148 MCM/year, from rainfall 137 MCM/year and groundwater return flow 150 MCM/year. Despite a reduction in Ravi flows due to upstream water use by India, the main recharge (82 per cent) to groundwater is contributed by the river. The rainfall and canal system contribute only 12 per cent whereas the return flow from irrigation fields is about 6.0 per cent. This clearly shows the importance of Ravi flows in sustaining the Lahore changes in the available water resources through climate change or other human interventions will lead to serious challenges of food security and livelihood for millions of poor. Glacial retreat and changes in precipitation patterns from anthropogenic climate change are also expected to significantly alter river basin behaviour and jeopardise hydropower generation. Current water management practices may not be robust enough to cope with the impacts of climate change on a reliable water supply, flood risk, health, agriculture, energy and aquatic ecosystems. The development and introduction of climate adaptive measures will help reduce some of the potentially adverse climate impacts on food production and environmental degradation. The report claimed that industries tend to face reputational, physical and regulatory risks due to water scarcity. Physical risks directly impact business activities, raw material supply, intermediate supply chain and product use in a variety of ways. Water pollution can be reduced by eliminating contaminants at source which is the most effective way to protect water quality. The prevention of pollution at source is a cost effective solution as less money is required on waste handling, storage, treatment, remediation, and regulatory monitoring. Industrial units need to recycle wastewater generated from one process into other processes if it satisfies water quality standards. A European Union delegation comprising Bernard Francois, Head of Co-operation and Roshan Ara, Development Advisor, Trade and Economic Co-operation, attended the ceremony. Bernard Francois expressed: “The EU acknowledges the fact that water is indispensable for a productive and flourishing economy. With this project, we hope to build a model of best water management practices in SMEs in Punjab, which can then be communicated and replicated all over Pakistan”. Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan said: “Through the Water Stewardship Project (WSP) and interaction with diverse stakeholders, we have gained an insight into the major water challenges of the country and have come to realise the various avenues that exist with huge potential for improvement within the water sector”. Dr Asad Sarwar Qureshi, a water expert, presented the findings of the report while Shafqatullah, Project Director, Cleaner Production Institute (CPI), gave an overview of the business case. Dr Conor Linstead, Freshwater Specialist, WWF-UK along with Ali Hasnain Sayed, Manager Water Security and Stewardship, WWF-Pakistan conducted a brainstorming session on developing a city-wide partnership on managing the water resources of Lahore.
