ately, India has stopped the flow of water into the River Ravi by constructing a dam that was awaiting completion for almost 45 years. As a result, the Ravi has dried up.

This has not only jeopardised the vast agricultural lands in the Punjab, but has also put in limbo the fate of the Ravi River Urban Development Project which was being hailed as the country’s first mega project of its kind.

India has completed the construction of the Shahpur Kandi Barrage in Pathankot district, near the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India has started diverting 1,150 cubic metres of water from the river to irrigation projects in the Kathua and Samba districts.

Experts say that the non-availability of water in the Ravi will deal a hard blow to the RRUDP. For the uninitiated, the project provided for an entire city be built along the Ravi River, on 100,000 acres of land in the north of Lahore.

It was expected to be a state-of-the–art city that would be built on international standards at the Ravi’s waterfront. Its stated purpose was to enhance the fast depleting underground water levels of Lahore by constructing three barrages — one near Shahdara, the other on M2 (motorway), and another near the Hadiara drain. Undoubtedly, it all depends on the availability of sufficient water in the Ravi round the year.

It is pertinent to mention here that the mega project, touted as a game changer, has also been surrounded by controversy. There have been allegations of corruption, inefficiency and laxity.

Sheikh Ibrahim, an environmentalist says, “I doubt that the multi-billion-dollar project that is already marred by controversies could be completed successfully.”

Its future now hangs in the balance. “It is unfortunate that the project which started with the aim of mitigating environmental issues including water shortage and unplanned development, has already turned into a real estate project against which a large number of farmers and landowners are up in arms.”

He also talks of water stoppage in the Ravi raising pollution levels.

A spokesperson of Ravi Urban Development Authority says, “RUDA has alternative plans to ensure necessary water flow in the Ravi. Water from the BRB canal will be directed to the river.

Recently, as a token protest against India’s move, a number of rallies were taken out in the provincial metropolis. The participants urged Pakistan and India to review the Indus Waters Treaty and revive the natural flows of the rivers, including the Ravi. They also called upon the government to take effective steps to stop drainage of the toxic sewage into the Ravi and other abandoned rivers, and ensure its drainage after treatment to improve deteriorating environmental conditions in the river and several localities situated along its banks.

Abuzar Madhu of Ravi Bachao Tehreek says, “Revival of the natural flow of the Ravi is necessary for the environment and agriculture in general and Lahore in particular.”

Zahir Abbas, one of the protestors, says, “We want to save the environment and the lives of the people. Besides human beings, the lives of the turtles, frogs and other water animals are also important. We want to protect them all.

“We should not accept a compromise on the health of the public affected by the sewage draining into the Ravi.”

Abul Aziz Abid, a leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, is of the view that the Indus Waters Treaty gives Pakistan rights over the use of the waters of three rivers, namely, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab; whereas India has rights over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. As a result, the Ravi and Sutlej have water only for a few weeks of monsoon rains.

Abid says that India has unleashed a fresh “wave of water terrorism” against Pakistan. If it continues, he says, a vast area in Pakistan will be rendered barren.

He also says, “Pakistan needs to exert pressure on India to review its move.”

A spokesperson of Ravi Urban Development Authority says, “The RUDA has alternative plans to ensure necessary water flow in the Ravi. Some of the water from the BRB Canal will be directed to the river. Industrial effluents and sewage will be treated.”

The writer is a print and broadcast journalist