Construction of illegal structures was in full swing in Korang Nullah near Rawal Dam on Wednesday, in clear violation of legal orders by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA).
After protests from residents and other civil society members, the FEPA took strong notice of illegal construction activities in the Korang Nullah bed and Rawal Lake catchment area.
The FEPA sent a legal order to a five-storey building project, which required an environmental impact study prior to execution, being constructed on the river bed near Shahpur and Mauza Phulgaran, Islamabad.
Despite the legal order, construction work had not stopped and the powerful builders remained unmoved by the legal notices. The FEPA issued three reminders and a follow-up notice to Capital Territory chief commissioner to comply with the order and cease the work in progress and ensure Environmental Impact Assessment study prior to the commencement of construction. Civil society and the residents expressed grave concern and anger over the continuation of construction activities by the influential groups despite issuance of a legal order and repeated reminders by FEPA.
Commenting on the situation, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) senior researcher Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal said, “Girdawar of the area confirmed that the land of the five-storey building was part of Korang River and the construction clearly violated Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) 1997 and Capital Development Authority zoning regulation.”
He declared the builders had violated FEPA orders for which they could be prosecuted under “contempt of court” as it was a kind of judicial order for which the PEPA Act 1997 provided legal cover.
He said Pakistan Penal Code could also be invoked and the higher authorities were responsible for stopping the illegal activity on an immediate basis, and also for carrying out the assessment study in compliance with the FEPA order.
Iqbal demanded strict legal action against the project developers and suggested to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and launch a campaign on the right to provision of safe drinking water for the residents of the twin cities.
It is important to note that these illegal construction put serious threats not only to sensitive ecological area of Korang Nullah but would spread waterborne diseases by polluting the Korang River, which is a source of potable water for millions of people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
