As part of the government efforts for provision of clean drinking water to residents of twin cities, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) on Friday issued summon notices to polluters of the lake.
There had been a genuine concern of the masses about increasing level of pollutants in the lake water, a reservoir that is meant for providing drinking water to residents of Rawalpindi.
The Pak-EPA, in exercise of power under section 7(f) of Pakistan Environment Protection Act, 1997, has issued summon notice to violator of provisions of said Act, sources told APP.
These violators of the Act, had been continuously contaminating the lake water by discharging their liquid and solid waste directly to the Rawal lake from catchments areas.
"This had predominantly become a matter of concern after heavy fish mortality in the lake during June, 2004," these sources said.
The Rawal Lake Catchments Management Committee had directed this agency to start regular monitoring of the catchments areas.
Accordingly Pak-EPA started survey and monitoring by sending monitoring inspectors to the catchments areas.
A number of polluters were identified by the inspectors and summoned by the Pak-EPA to explain their position, immediately stop the polluting activity and take specific remedial measures in future, the sources said.
This monitoring activity is being co-ordinated with support of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA).
Meanwhile, the ICT has already prohibited working of cattle sheds and poultry farms under section 144 in the catchments areas. A ban on construction has also been imposed under the same law.
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