Waste water treatment plant okayed

A public hearing for River Ravi Commission (RRC) Tuesday unanimously approved the proposal of establishing a waste-water treatment plant, based on the concept of a constructed wetland, at a site along Ring Road at Babu Sabu.

The meeting was held at Environment Protection Department (EPD).

Representatives from EPD, EPA, Irrigation Department, WASA, WWF - Pakistan and a wide cross-section of public attended the hearing, including experts from National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, academics, and representatives of civil society and residents of Babu Sabu.

Secretary RRC and counsel for the petitioners Ahmad Rafay Alam explained that the right to a clean environment and the right to access clean drinking water were fundamental rights. Referring to a study by the Pakistan Council on Research in Water Resources, he said that 40 percent of all medical cases are due to water-borne disease and that this was resulting in numerous deaths and cost to the exchequer. He said that Irrigation Department, EPD, EPA and WASA were responsible to ensure the protection of these fundamental rights and added that industry was legally bound to treat its effluent before disposing of it. He said no industry could be allowed to profit at the cost of the health of others. Ali Hassan Habib, DG WWF - Pakistan added that the initial suggestions made in the policy are merely ‘phase one’ of a very long and arduous process to restore Ravi’s ecology, and public partnership and ownership are going to be key factors driving it to success, along with government agencies charged with this responsibility.

Posted in: Lahore