The Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab has launched a campaign to collect samples of processed water being discharged by the industrial units to assess how much and what sort of pollutants are being discharged by the industries situated along Hudiara drain. EPD sources told Business Recorder on Thursday that though the department keeps checking the discharges from industries throughout the year but it has launched an intense campaign recently against industries polluting water. All laboratories have been directed to monitor and test waste water samples of 15 to 20 factories per month.
The sources said the campaign was practically started in September but later all resources were diverted towards taking steps for avoiding smog in the provincial metropolis in particular and the province in general. Hudiara drain originates from Batala (District Gurdaspur - East Punjab, India) and after being joined by many tributaries in Amritsar and covering 40Km enters Pakistan near Laloo village carrying untreated sewage mingled with untreated industrial effluents.
From Laloo village to Mohlanwal village where the drain discharges into River Ravi, a stretch of 55 Km, the drain receives untreated effluents from hundreds of industrial units and domestic sewage from some parts of Lahore City and cantonment areas.
This drain was originally a storm water drain. However, dumping of industrial and domestic wastewater has turned it into a perennial drain. Its annual average discharge at its confluence with the River Ravi is about 500 cusecs.
There are hundreds of industrial units of different natures situated along Hudiara drain on both sides of the border. The drain water is polluted and as such not suitable for agricultural irrigation and also does not support any aquatic life. Moreover, it is also likely to cause contamination of subsoil water.
The sources said that such an exercise was also done in 2017 as samples of hundreds of industries were taken but reports could not be made public due to reasons best know to the authorities.