he haphazard and unplanned urbanisation of Lahore, the second largest metropolitan in Pakistan, and the capital city of the Punjab, has resulted in a host of problems not only for its huge population but also for its ecosystem. This is mostly due to the large-scale corruption and insensitivity prevalent in civic agencies, especially the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), the prime government agency responsible for maintaining and keep an eye on the city’s systematic urbanisation.

It is pertinent to note that while tall claims are made frequently by civic agencies like the LDA, the WASA, the PHA, the TEPA and Rescue 1122 about making various changes for the beautification and better development of the city and ensuring civic facilities for the Lahoris, they have, in fact, all failed to make integrated urban development policies. Unrestrained urban growth, overlapping jurisdictions of the land governing authorities and ineffective building control have further aggravated the situation. The citizens are now facing acute problems – from a shortage of potable clean water to a polluted environment and traffic muddles across the city.

Lahore still needs dynamic as well as organised institutions with technical, legal and regulatory support for dealing with the ever-increasing population effectively. It won’t be wrong to say that the city planners direly need to ensure practicable, realistic and feasible urban expansion strategies to ensure integrated infrastructural and socioeconomic development of the city.

Lahore’s population has risen to over 12 million with tens of thousands commuting to and from Lahore to other cities of the Punjab on a daily basis. The built-up area doubled between 2011 and 2022 and is expected to grow at a similar or even higher rate. The records indicate that the average growth from 1901 to 1921 was not so fast.

The rate of population growth has remained steady. After the independence, it increased at a faster rate i.e. 2.38 and 4.32 percent during 1951-1961 and 1961-1972, respectively.

The large-scale surge in the population and subsequent growth in the residential or infrastructural sectors has produced mounting pressure on urban vegetation, besides badly disturbing the ecosystem of the city. Consequently, the urban vegetation has been significantly reduced. This has had had a significant socio-environmental impact on the citizens. Similarly, the reduction in greenery has caused a significant reduction in biodiversity.

According to statistics, the population of Lahore has risen to over 12 million with tens of thousands commuting to and from Lahore to other cities of the Punjab on a daily basis.

Speaking to the The News on Sunday (TNS), journalist Ali Sheraz says the responsibility for unplanned and haphazard town planning lies directly with the LDA’s Town Planning Department. “As much as 80 per cent of buildings in the city have been built in sheer violation of LDA’s by-laws. The private housing societies sprawling at a fast pace over the last two to three decades have been no different.”

Sheraz says before a building, whether commercial or domestic, is built, a plan is submitted by the owner to the LDA and other government agencies for their NOC. It is approved if it is in accordance with the by-laws of the LDA. He adds, “the problem begins thereafter. The owners, shortly after getting the approval, make slight (or major) changes to the building plan during the construction. “This is done in connivance with the Town Planning staff of the LDA who keep mum about the whole wrongdoing, certainly after getting their palms greased. “If the completion certificate for the construction is issued only after a thorough inspection by the LDA vigilance staff, this irregularity can effectively be checked”, he says.

SM Imran, a former LDA vice chairman says that there are two kinds of building bylaws and violations. One set of laws (and violations) is called compoundable and the second non-compoundable. LDA imposes financial penalties in case of violation of compoundable building bylaws. Violations of non-compoundable bylaws is not tolerated at any cost. In the past, he says, haphazard urbanisation has happened on a large scale due to laxity, slackness and indifference of the LDA.

“Mushroom growth of illegal housing societies also took place during the era,” he says. Nevertheless, he says, he took strict action against those who tried to defy LDA’s by-laws. “We developed a comprehensive plan for the next fifty years to bring Lahore at a par with the megacities of the developed world”, he adds.

Adbul Karim, an environmentalist, says in urban life, the ecosystem has a great significance. The trees absorb carbon dioxide and mitigate the impact of some vehicular emissions like carbon monoxide. When trees are cut for some reason, the natural cleansing process stops. Almost all city roads were once covered with trees that used to provide a habitat to many species of birds. The birds have all vanished now that a lot of trees have been felled to make way for expansion of roads and other construction. He says in an ecological system, vegetation and birds are very important. In old Lahore, there used to be more trees and a lot fewer high-rise buildings.

“Unfortunately, extensive urbanisation has taken place at the cost of agricultural land”, he says, adding that chaotic and unplanned construction has been carried out in the city where trees used to be. Now there are high-rise buildings, roads and housing societies that are allowed to ignore the green areas.

He is of the view that unplanned and haphazard urban planning practices in the city have created structural conditions for traffic congestion, inequality and loss of productivity. This also works to reduce biodiversity in urban areas.

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