LAHORE   -   Contrary to thickly populated cities developed without proper planning, modern cities provide ample socio-economic opportunities to millions of marginalised people to pull them out of extreme poverty. Therefore, keeping in view this challenge, the government, for the first time, has initiated a project in the public sector to meet the growing residential needs in Lahore. Ravi River Front is envisaged on the same lines not only to develop a modern settlement, but also to restore the habitat and environment of areas adjoining River Ravi, polluted by sewage.

Over the period, besides contamination, the water table had fallen at a faster pace due to rapid population influx to Lahore and there was a dire need for an environment-friendly project. “Water table in Lahore is going down at a rate of 2.6 to 3 feet annually and this is alarming,” WWF-Pakistan expert on water quality Sohail Naqvi said. “Lakhodahir area on premises of Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) is most affected in terms of environmental degradation and underground water contamination,” he added.

The Ravi River Front project has been planned to ensure cleaner water and environment for people by installing water treatment and storage systems, artificial lakes and barrages, and a massive plantation by employing the latest techniques, said a noted NESPAK civil engineer Behzad Usman. “This is the first project in the country’s history featuring the qualities of knowledge, commercial, medical, innovation, tourism, and sports city. It also features as an eco-friendly fortress of digital and technological advancements,” he added.

“Be it economic activity, energy generation, research and development, medical, education, or cultural activity, this city will employ the most advanced methods to revolutionise the cultural, environmental, and socio-economic landscape of the region,” Usman added.

RUDA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Imran Amin said that the dream city is not just a housing scheme but a residential and cultural project to build a city to restore natural water resources and environment. Chahar Bagh is the first residential initiative of RUDA, meaning “four gardens”, that consists of commercial complexes and cutting-edge mixed-use. Exclusive villas, skyrises, mid-rises, condominiums, apartment buildings, and commercial complexes make it the first of its kind, he added. “We have planned world class river works and barrages on River Ravi,” Imran Amin said.

These projects will help minimise flood damages while lakes planned for the project would raise the water table of Lahore city.”Additionally, the Rakh Jhok Forest cover will be upgraded to the status of a National Park to promote tourism and aquatic life, he said.

In recent reports River Ravi has been declared as one of the most poisonous rivers. Therefore, we shall install water treatment plant for disseminating cleaner water through its course,” Imran Amin said. The project will have 46-kilometer river-front Saphire-Bay and an amalgamation of natural beauty, construction masterpieces, eco-friendly tourism, business hub and cultural and educational settlements, the CEO said.

This 46-kilometer-long real estate is being constructed on green land on both sides of the Ravi River. This land is not only rich for agricultural production but also the only food basket in Northern Lahore, providing vegetables to residents, remarked Project Director FWO Major (retd) Muhammad Asif Kamal contributing his expertise with RUDA these days.

Despite that creators and executors of this project often boast of its magnanimity, people from other strata of society raise questions on its legality, land acquiring mechanism as well as utilising vast tract of agriculture land for the purpose, Major Asif further added.

Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and government efforts addressing forests and greenhouse gas emissions should be enhanced, he added.

He told APP that ongoing development would soon be projecting a crucial part of RUDA’s vision for the city’s future, adding the authority’s multifaceted approach aims to create a more sustainable, liveable, and connected urban environment.

RUDA Director Hydrology Mohsin Atiq emphasised that River Ravi, in a few years, would be flowing as a perennial river with its own creek having 59 billion litres of water with its first barrage. He said RUDA was continuing efforts to revive the Ravi River. About progress of the river training project, he said the first phase of river training, which spans over 3 kilometres, has been completed successfully. The project’s various packages including 1, 1A, 2, and 2B are advancing rapidly, reflecting the authority’s dedication to achieving its goals on time, he added. This large-scale initiative aims to address the environmental degradation of River Ravi and breathe new life into the river through strategic interventions. Mohsin said the key objective of river training works was to rejuvenate the River Ravi.