Lahore: The River Urban Building Authority (RUDA) on Friday (September 25) stated that the authority plans to replenish the water aquifer in the drying Ravi River, which will also assist in alleviating the persisting smog and pollution concerns in Lahore, according to news sources.
RUDA made these claims, during a case in Lahore High Court (LHC) involving the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) master plan’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study. The RUDA council informed the court that if the project is completed, the city’s water reservoir capacity will rise by up to 270 billion litres through lakes, forests, and barrages. The project’s development will also solve the demands of the city’s expanding housing, transportation, water supply, education, health, sewerage, solid waste disposal and congestion problems, putting it on the list of the world’s emerging and planned cities.
The RUDA council argued that this is the only measure that can reduce pollution in the air and that the project will also improve the environment by planting more than six million trees in addition to the urban forest. It says that the project would also assist fulfil half of Lahore’s need for safe drinking water. LHC Justice Shahid Karim asked the government to submit the master plan of the project in court by September 29.
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
