Conserving underground water: EPA brings rainwater harvesting systems

LAHORE:Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced mandatory provisions of rainwater harvesting systems in 23 different fields to conserve underground water.

EPA DG EPA DG Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh ordered that under the Punjab Environmental Protection (Review of Initial Environmental Examination and Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2022 the following 23 numbers of projects have enough potential for installation of rainwater harvesting system for water conservation and protection of surface and groundwater.

These included controlled poultry farms, hatchery, livestock, stud and fish farms, petroleum refineries, textile industry (including all steps spinning, weaving units, dying and printing etc.), apparel including garments and leather stitching units, food processing industries including beverages, milk and dairy products, flour mill, rice mills, edible oils, fats and vegetable ghee and feed mills, petrol and CNG stations, cement plants, sugar mills and distilleries, chemical manufacturing units, including pharmaceuticals and cosmetic, paper and paperboard, paper pulping, paints and dyes, pesticides and fertilizer manufacturing units, tannery and leather units, ceramics and glass units, auto mobile manufacturing and assembling units, airports, housing schemes including land sub division, multistoried buildings either commercial or residential, hotels, industrial estates, educational institutions including medical colleges and research institutes, marriage halls and event centres and bus and wagon stands.

He further ordered that the Section 6 (1) (t) of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997 empowers the EPA Punjab to take all necessary measures for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation, and improvement of the environment, prevention and control of pollution, and promotion of sustainable development.

EPA DG said that the applications for environmental approvals shall not be processed for any aforementioned projects unless their Initial Environmental Examination, (IEE)/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports, as the case may be, explicitly provide plan and design for the rainwater harvesting system and its effective utilisation.

He further ordered that the following condition shall be added in the environmental approval to be issued to the aforementioned projects: “The proponent shall ensure planning, designing, construction and operation of rainwater harvesting system in its premises for appropriate use of the said rainwater.”

This order shall come into force with immediate effect and shall remain in force unless modified or withdrawn, he said. He maintained that EPA has already taken measures for water conservation and protection of surface and groundwater including immediate closure of all illegal/unapproved car wash, service stations, mandatory installation of carwash wastewater recycling system and channels at car wash stations, ban on use of oil washing of vehicles, ban on flood irrigation of lawns, gardens, golf courses and green belts, ban on use of groundwater in construction activities and only surface water/recycled water can be used, ban on establishment of new car wash stations, ban on the usage of hose pipes in all the government offices, buildings, residences for car wash within the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Punjab.