Senate panel urges immediate action on Rawal Dam’s environmental crisis

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Sub-committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination on Monday discussed the growing environmental crisis surrounding Rawal Dam.

The meeting discussed urgent issues concerning pollution, illegal construction and the lack of monitoring systems.

The meeting, chaired by Senator Shahzaib Durrani, discussed the ongoing construction of the Rawalpindi Circuit House in the Rawal Dam Irrigation Colony Zone-3.

The meeting was told that the project, initiated by the Punjab Irrigation Department, has been started without securing the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), drawing strong criticism from the sub-committee.

Senator Durrani called for an immediate halt to the construction of the Chief Engineer House if it was found to violate environmental laws.

The meeting also discussed the alarming pollution levels in Rawal Dam, a critical water source for Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) managing director told the meeting that untreated sewage from Bani Gala was being discharged directly into the dam, worsening the water contamination. WASA presently supplies Rawalpindi with 55 million gallons of water each day from the dam, but the city was in danger of experiencing a water crisis due to unregulated construction and growing pollution levels of the dam, the meeting was told.

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The Pak-EPA director general pointed out the lack of comprehensive data on waste entering the dam, citing the absence of a monitoring system or data portal to track environmental conditions.

According to a report, 64 per cent of the pollution in the dam is caused by sewage from Islamabad, while the remaining 36 per cent is from Punjab. It was told that pollution continues to be a serious issue due to poorly maintained sewage systems around the dam.

In response, the sub-committee sought a detailed water sampling report from the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to assess pollution levels both before and after treatment.

They also expressed concern about the rising cases of water-borne diseases and sought a data from the health department.

Senator Durrani called for urgent intervention to protect the environment around Rawal Dam, particularly in light of ongoing construction near sensitive areas like national parks.

He stressed the importance of improving waste management systems, including daily cleaning of the dam, and the establishment of sustainable initiatives that could generate income while potentially producing electricity.

The sub-committee also decided to visit Rawal Dam next week to assess the situation firsthand. “If Lake Michigan can be cleaned, there is no reason why Rawal Dam cannot be restored to its original state,” Senator Durrani, said, underscoring the possibility of successful restoration.

The committee directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to furnish a report on waste management efforts around the dam.

A formal letter will also be sent to the CDA chairman, urging immediate action to ensure the cleanliness of the dam’s drains. The sub-committee announced to reconvene a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss further actions based on the data collected.

Senator Naseema Ehsan and representatives from key government departments, including PEPA, WASA and CDA also attended the meeting.