Lahore: Provincial Minister for Housing & Urban Development Mian Mehmood Ur Rasheed on Wednesday stated that the Ravi Riverfront project would undergo development in three phases, a news source reported.
The minister revealed that the first phase would comprise the construction of a 46-km-long lake, three barrages, an urban forest, and six wastewater treatment plants. He added that the first phase would reach completion within three years.
Rasheed said that a piece of land spanning 102,271 acres would be acquired for the Lahore Ravi Riverfront project. He added that it would greatly benefit investors and communities, along with improving the environment of the city.
The minister highlighted that the total acquired land would feature the constriction of wastewater and surface water treatment plants, 12 new cities, and a network of roads. He said that the new cities would include the development of a Medical City, Downtown, Commercial Hub, Residential City, Urban Farms, and a Miscellaneous Use City. He added that the project’s second phase would see the construction of an Innovation City that would cover over 1,370 acres of land, and the third phase would feature the development of a Sports City, Knowledge City, and Eco City over a land area spanning 14,000 acres.
Rasheed pointed out that the development of the lake would help remove domestic and industrial waste from River Ravi, along with the provision of 271 billion litres of water. He added that the wastewater treatment plants would assist in irrigating 75,000 acres of land. Furthermore, the surface water treatment plants would decrease the dependency of Lahore’s residents on groundwater by 50% — providing 2.4 billion litres of safe drinking water to the city.
