Can commission save city from running dry?
Experts warn if dropping levels are not controlled, situation will worsen by 2025
Experts warn if dropping levels are not controlled, situation will worsen by 2025. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The city is on the verge of a major water crisis and the situation could hit rock bottom by 2025 if dropping levels are not controlled.
To tackle the problem, the government of Punjab has set up a water commission which is working on an emergency basis. The committee includes provincial district officers from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).
According to details obtained by The Express Tribune, utilising underground water, accumulated below the ground through seepage from rivers and pounds, could be the answer. In fact, countries all over the world make great use of it. It is important to keep in mind, however, that underground water is only found in usable quantities in certain below-the-surface locations which are known as aquifers.
In the past, different governments that came into power in the province did not pay attention to the issue and made no attempts to tap into alternative sources of water before.
With the formation of the water commission, however, Lahore WASA – together with public and private housing societies and factories – have started extracting underground water and work is currently underway at parks and green belts to water those facilities.
Speaking on the matter, Managing Director of WASA Zahid Aziz told The Express Tribune that short and long-term policies are already being implemented. “In order to preserve underground water, WASA has started recycling water at parks, mosques, highways and service centers,” he said.
'Sustainable long-term plan vital to thwart water crisis'
Aziz also said that irrigation water has been stored and filtered to provide 100 cusec of water to the residents of canal colonies which will increase further in future. Moreover, the water policy aims at raising awareness among the citizens.
According to a recent survey conducted by WASA, the population of Lahore was 360,000 in 1980, but grew to 11.3 million in 2018. In the 1980s, WASA used to extract 232 million cubic meters of water whereas the private sector was extracting another 92 cubic million meters of water annually.
At present, WASA is extracting 896 million cubic meters, while the private sector is extracting 600 million cubic meters of water annually, making a total of 1,496 million cubic meters every year.
Similarly, when it comes to the installation of tube wells, WASA had 125 of them in the 1980s, but the number has now grown to 600. These tube wells extract ground water 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Similarly, at present, the agricultural sector has 2,700 tube wells, the cantonment board’s share is 68, and the cooperative housing societies have 65 of them. As for the private housing schemes, they have 110 tube wells for underground water extraction. The Walton Cantonment board has 89, while the railways department has a total of 50 tube wells used to extract underground water.
In the 1980s, the lower underground water level was 18.70 feet below the surface which grew to 77.00 feet as of 2018. Similarly, the upper level was 51.50 in 1980 which increased to 164.50 in 2018.
Although water problems were observed even 40 years ago in Lahore’s Mazang area but due to unplanned urbanisation, commercialisation and economic activities, the water level is going dangerously low at Gulberg and Ichhra too.
The problem is not confined to the aforementioned areas alone but other areas of the city, including Township, Green Town, Mustafabad, Samnabad, Allama Iqbal town, and Anarkali are also facing acute water shortage.
As WASA made the Punjab government aware of the crisis, the water commission was formed under the supervision of Justice (Retd) Ali Akbar.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Akbar warned that the underwater level would be dangerously low by 2025 which would deteriorate further.
“To address the issue, the Punjab government has formed the commission. Water has been recycled from mosques across Lahore and treated to provide water to parks.”
He further said that a special force has been set up to stop people from wasting water, adding that fines will be imposed on those who will fail to comply.
“All housing societies have been restricted to stop the wastage of water. Citizens should cooperate with the government to preserve water so that the issue can be resolved in the best possible manner,” Akbar concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2019.
The city is on the verge of a major water crisis and the situation could hit rock bottom by 2025 if dropping levels are not controlled.
To tackle the problem, the government of Punjab has set up a water commission which is working on an emergency basis. The committee includes provincial district officers from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).
According to details obtained by The Express Tribune, utilising underground water, accumulated below the ground through seepage from rivers and pounds, could be the answer. In fact, countries all over the world make great use of it. It is important to keep in mind, however, that underground water is only found in usable quantities in certain below-the-surface locations which are known as aquifers.
In the past, different governments that came into power in the province did not pay attention to the issue and made no attempts to tap into alternative sources of water before.
With the formation of the water commission, however, Lahore WASA – together with public and private housing societies and factories – have started extracting underground water and work is currently underway at parks and green belts to water those facilities.
Speaking on the matter, Managing Director of WASA Zahid Aziz told The Express Tribune that short and long-term policies are already being implemented. “In order to preserve underground water, WASA has started recycling water at parks, mosques, highways and service centers,” he said.
'Sustainable long-term plan vital to thwart water crisis'
Aziz also said that irrigation water has been stored and filtered to provide 100 cusec of water to the residents of canal colonies which will increase further in future. Moreover, the water policy aims at raising awareness among the citizens.
According to a recent survey conducted by WASA, the population of Lahore was 360,000 in 1980, but grew to 11.3 million in 2018. In the 1980s, WASA used to extract 232 million cubic meters of water whereas the private sector was extracting another 92 cubic million meters of water annually.
At present, WASA is extracting 896 million cubic meters, while the private sector is extracting 600 million cubic meters of water annually, making a total of 1,496 million cubic meters every year.
Similarly, when it comes to the installation of tube wells, WASA had 125 of them in the 1980s, but the number has now grown to 600. These tube wells extract ground water 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Similarly, at present, the agricultural sector has 2,700 tube wells, the cantonment board’s share is 68, and the cooperative housing societies have 65 of them. As for the private housing schemes, they have 110 tube wells for underground water extraction. The Walton Cantonment board has 89, while the railways department has a total of 50 tube wells used to extract underground water.
In the 1980s, the lower underground water level was 18.70 feet below the surface which grew to 77.00 feet as of 2018. Similarly, the upper level was 51.50 in 1980 which increased to 164.50 in 2018.
Although water problems were observed even 40 years ago in Lahore’s Mazang area but due to unplanned urbanisation, commercialisation and economic activities, the water level is going dangerously low at Gulberg and Ichhra too.
The problem is not confined to the aforementioned areas alone but other areas of the city, including Township, Green Town, Mustafabad, Samnabad, Allama Iqbal town, and Anarkali are also facing acute water shortage.
As WASA made the Punjab government aware of the crisis, the water commission was formed under the supervision of Justice (Retd) Ali Akbar.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Akbar warned that the underwater level would be dangerously low by 2025 which would deteriorate further.
“To address the issue, the Punjab government has formed the commission. Water has been recycled from mosques across Lahore and treated to provide water to parks.”
He further said that a special force has been set up to stop people from wasting water, adding that fines will be imposed on those who will fail to comply.
“All housing societies have been restricted to stop the wastage of water. Citizens should cooperate with the government to preserve water so that the issue can be resolved in the best possible manner,” Akbar concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2019.