s the tug-of-war between the government and the opposition intensifies, governance takes a hit. The outcome is instability in all spheres of life. The political instability has started taking its toll on the people and the development projects heavily. The billion-dollar project to build a new city on the Ravi Riverfront, touted as a game-changer in terms of Pakistan’s economic revival, has not been an exception.

The project has a history since its inception of hitting snags.

With Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the saddle, will the mega project, involving the construction of three barrages – one near Shahdara, the second at the M2
motorway and the third near Hadiara drain - will see actual progress?

Given the on-going crisis on account of heavy rains and flooding across the country, another question arises about its impact of floodwater management. Will the proposed barrages make Lahore and its suburbs in the event of record floods? What if India released about 150,000 cusecs of water in the River Ravi as was rumoured recently? In the end India released only 50,000 cusecs of water in the river. This too caused considerable devastation along the way.

According to some estimates, almost the entire city Lahore is vulnerable to a flood in the River Ravi should the peak flow cross the 500,000 cusecs mark. The threat of a large release of water into River Ravi by India is not entirely over.

Chief Minister Elahi has shown a keen interest in finishing the projects started by the Buzdar government. However, neither Hamza Shahbaz nor Shahbaz Sharif has shown any interest in the project.

The chief minister recently presided over a meeting of the River Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) officials. PTI chief Imran Khan was a special guest on the occasion. The meeting was briefed on the state of the project. RUDA officials say the meeting was told that massive forestation will be undertaken as a part of the project. Besides, seven water treatment plants and three barrages will be constructed over 2,000 acres of land. The project, planned over 102,000 acres, shall have 29 sectors. A major focus will be on mitigating environmental problems including water shortage and unplanned development. The purpose of the treatment plants and the barrages is to overcome the water shortage and raise the water table in the city.

“The RUDA is making all efforts to revive the indigenous landscape and aquatic life to the extent possible. Only native landscapes, basic recreation facilities of a non-invasive nature and benign livelihood-related activities will be allowed.”

Currently 836 cusecs of untreated domestic wastewater flows into the Ravi. A bioremediation plant will purge the river of waste water.

Talking to The News on Sunday (TNS), RUDA CEO Imran Amin says the project is going to be a game changer not just for the economy but also usher in a soft revolution. He says it will bring huge amounts of foreign investment.

“People have to understand the importance, efficacy and multi-faceted impact of this mega project on our lives”, says Amin. “Unfortunately,” he says, “some people at the helm of affairs in other government departments and agencies have been unable to fully comprehend how significant and imperative this project is for Pakistan’s prosperity. Nor have they risen to the occasion”.

He says a lot needs to be done to restore the faith of foreign investors.

He says, “The RUDA has become self-reliant. We have been generating our own money. We are not seeking any funds from the government any longer to run the mega project”. Amin says the actual problem is a lack of coordination with the related government departments. This, he says, has badly affected the pace of work.

“Isn’t it insane to sit idle and do nothing year after year”? he asks rhetorically. “Is it alright for government agencies to declare a large area of the country a flood plain… To me, it’s a crime”, he says.

“We are building a strong mechanism to mitigate the flood devastation in case India releases a large quantity of water in the River Ravi without warning. A 9-metre high retaining wall 100-metres-wide is being built on both banks of the Ravi”, Amin says. He says the initial work has begun on a 46-kilometres long wall.

The CEO says the RUDA is also making efforts to revive the aquatic life to the extent possible. Only native landscapes, basic recreation facilities of a non-invasive nature and benign livelihood-related activities will be allowed, he says.

The writer is a senior journalist and can be reached at ahsanzia155@gmail.com