The site at the Ravi River which was once allotted to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) for installing wastewater treatment plant is now being considered the best site by the Ravi Commission for setting up a biodegradation plan. Currently, the Ravi River Commission and WASA are discussing to settle the matter through negotiations.
The Ravi Commission was constituted last year by the Green Bench of the Lahore High Court to identify the nature and source of the polluted water being disposed of into the Ravi River. The objective of the commission was to restore the natural ecology of the river which is the most polluted river in Pakistan and contributes to nearly 50 percent of the overall discharge of effluent into the IndusRiver.
Sources in the Ravi Commission said that a site of 400 kanals to 700 kanals had been identified through satellite mapping for its project of biodegradation plan. The identified site, however, falls within the 7,000 acres of land which had already been allotted to JICA by WASA for installing its wastewater treatment plant. The JICA project plans to throw treated water in the river which is clear of pollutants. The Japanese donor agency has been trying to install this plant for the last 20 years. The Punjab government first allotted a site to JICA in Mehmood Booti for the treatment plant but later it gave the site to the Lahore Waste Management Company for solid waste management. JICA was then given a site in Babu Sabu, which is now being eyed by the Ravi Commission for its biodegradation plan.
WASA and the Ravi Commission are now trying to settle the matter through negotiation.
