LAHORE :The groundwater level of provincial metropolis is declining alarmingly with a depletion rate of about 2.5 to 3.0 feet per year. This was revealed in the fifth session of City-wide Partnership organised by World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) in collaboration with Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and Irrigation Research Institute (IRI) of Punjab Irrigation Department. WWF said the aim of the session was to bring together stakeholders from different backgrounds to discuss issues related to groundwater availability and quality in Lahore. It said the water table depth in the central part of the city has fallen below 130 feet (40 metres) approximately and is projected to drop below 230 feet (70 metres) in most areas by 2025. If the present trend continues, the situation will become even worse by 2040, therefore there is an urgent need to conserve groundwater and adopt strategies at the earliest, it warned. A case study on Ravi River was also shared in the session, which highlighted issues around the basin such as ground and surface water quality deterioration, over-abstraction of groundwater, inequitable development leading to increased water stress and increase in waterborne diseases. The stakeholders discussed and recommended solutions such as improvements in water allocations between surface and groundwater, increased levels of treatment for industrial and municipal effluent and improvement in environmental flows. Ravi River is one of the eastern rivers apart from Sutlej River and Beas River in the Indus Basin. It is a snow-fed river with a total length of 720-km, of which approximately 400-km lies in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Naqi Khan, WWF-Pakistan Director General, said Pakistan is water stressed country and is nearing water scarcity. Access to safe drinking water in rural and urban areas is declining and provision of potable water is a key issue, he said and implementation of laws pertaining to industrial effluents generated from textile and leather industries are very weak. “Industrial waste from these industries contains heavy metals such as copper, chromium, and nickel. Population of major cities does not have access to safe drinking water as freshwater resources are being contaminated due to multiple reasons. Safe drinking water should be made available to the population and industries need to ensure proper disposal of solid and liquid waste. Industries should ensure that the labour force working in their facilities are not exposed to harmful chemicals. WWF-Pakistan is committed to protecting the freshwater resources of the country and improving water access, efficiency, and allocation for people and the environment,” he added. Engr Zamir A Somroo, PCRWR Regional Director, informed the audience that PCRWR has experimented with rainwater harvesting models on a pilot scale and such artificial groundwater recharge can be a good option in restoring Lahore’s groundwater. Ghulam Zakir Hassan, Irrigation Research Institute, said the depletion of groundwater has become severe over the years and Groundwater Act may help in the restoration of Lahore's groundwater. Chinese team: A team of Chinese Railway Eryuan Corporation (CREC) called on Pakistan Railways CEO Humayun Rashid and CPEC Project Leader Ashfaq Khattak to discuss up-gradation of main line-I rail track fromKarachi to Peshawar. The Chinese team was headed by CREC Vice President Xhao. Pakistan Railways has been associated by the Chinese consultants’ team for the past one year for the project of up-gradation of Main Line-I which is 1850 kilometer long. The project is of strategic and vital importance under CPEC framework as 70 percent of Pakistan Railways’ traffic flows through it. Ashfaq Khattak told the Chinese team that under ‘Vision 2025’ set up by the Government of Pakistan, Pakistan Railways is supposed to increase its share in both cargo and passenger transportation sector up to 25 percent which is currently not more than 4 percent. To achieve this target there is no other way but to upgrade the major carrier of this load that is ML-I. The forecast was kept modest at first and it was cross verified by the international organizations like ADB and World Bank. According to the experts’ survey, after up-gradation Pakistan Railways traffic share is likely to surge. This forecast doesn’t include the international cargo traffic, which if added supported by regional connectivity will tremendously enhance the railways’ traffic. We look forward a better future of Pakistan linked with this track and CPEC on whole, Humayun Rashid said. uplift scheme: The Punjab government Thursday approved development scheme of local government sector at an estimated cost of Rs11.831 billion. The scheme was approved in a special meeting of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) of current fiscal year 2017-18 presided over by P&D Chairman Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan. Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, all members of the Planning & Development Board, provincial secretaries concerned, Assistant Chief P&D Coordination-II Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal and other senior representatives of the relevant provincial departments also attended the meeting. The approved development scheme was Local Government Development Package (LGDP) at the cost of Rs11.831 billion.
