ISLAMABAD Supreme Court has rejected the minutes of a meeting chaired by Secretary Cabinet Division in which DG Pak-EPA, MD Wasa, Commissioner ICT and DG EPA participated to act upon the apex courts orders regarding supply of contaminated water to the residents of the twin cities from Rawal Lake. Supreme Court, Friday, ordered Secretary Cabinet Division to hold a fresh meeting in this regard and take strict action against the responsible persons under Environment Protection Order. A two-member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muh-ammad Chaudhry was heard the case. Chief Justice had taken suo motu notice of the issue following media reports last month about deteriorating water quality in the Rawal Lake. During the course of hearing, Chief Justice remarked that the apex court would not allow contamination of Rawal Lake and its polluted water supply to the residents. Managing Director WASA told the bench that contaminated water of nullahs fell in the Rawal Lake whose water is supplied after treatment. CJP asked him, how it was possible that 5 million gallons of contaminated water coming form gutters could be purified for drinking purposes. Justice Ramday rebuked MD WASA and said if he would like to drink that contaminated water. To the benchs query, MD WASA replied that Rs420 million treatment plant was fixed to purify the contaminated water. However, the Chief Justice said such negligence could not be tolerated. The chief justice noted that besides, MD Wasa had taken pride in informing the meeting that the WASA was supplying purified water to Rawalpindi residents. He directed the Director General Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Punjab Dr Shagufta Shajahan to report the matter to the Chief Secretary, Punjab and if need is felt action should be taken against him. Dr Shagufta informed the court that they had issued notices to the housing colonies to install water treatment plants in their respective colonies but the Chief Justice said even after treatment, the colonies water should not go into lake. The colonies should be used it for other purposes like irrigation. The increased human activities in the catchments area have the poor water quality of the lake beyond acceptable limits. Due to that not only the filtration cost of the raw water has increased manifolds, but it is also adversely impacting health of Rawalpindi city and cantonment residents. The WASA has demanded ban on construction activities in the Rawal Lake catchments areas comprising Zone 3 & 4. The water treatment plant installed earlier to treat raw water of Rawal Lake is unable to filter the pollution, said the managing director WASA. He said that twice they have upgraded the treatment plant but now they dont have capacity to further upgrade it. The court also directed DG Pak-EPA, DG EPA Punjab to initiate proceeding against people who are responsible for discharge of sewerage water into Rawal Lake from where the water is supplied to inhabitants of Rawalpindi city and the cantonment areas and submit a report before this bench in the next meeting and adjourned the hearing till September 3, 2010.