ISLAMABAD: In a bid to counter propaganda against Ravi Urban DevelopmentProject and Bundle Island Project, the federal cabinet has directed theministers concerned to highlight the short-term and long-term benefits ofthe two important federal government initiatives.
According to sources, the federal cabinet, in its meeting held on 1stDecember, had directed the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) andPakistan Island Development Authority (PIDA) to put in place an effectivecommunication strategy to keep the masses informed about the short-term andlong-term benefits of the two projects.
It had also directed Inter Provincial Coordination Minister Dr FehmidaMirza and Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate ChangeMalik Amin Aslam to highlight in media the environmental benefits of theprojects so as to counter the negative propaganda against these projects.
The cabinet had passed these directives after the chairmen of RUDA and PIDAhad given a detailed overview of the two projects.
RUDA Chairman Rashid Aziz, while briefing the cabinet, said that the RaviRiver Urban Development Project (RRUDP) would help address water-relatedissues in Lahore, which had to go through an imbalance in the aquifersystem during 2006-17.
“Even in 2017, groundwater extraction stood at 5.2 billion liter per day,while the recharge of groundwater aquifer at the time was only 3.6 billionliter per day.”
Similarly, he informed, Lahore had less than one per cent area covered bytrees and no new urban forests or peri-urban woodlands had beendesignated/existed in the last 20 years. “In addition, the city has beendevastated by smog due to rapid urbanization. Therefore, it is imperativeto take up steps for revival of river ecological system so that issuespertaining to storage of water, provision of clean drinking water andwastewater management could be addressed.
According to documents, RRUDP consists of seven wastewater treatmentplants; 46km lake with three barrages having water storage of 270 billionlitres; 28 feet high and 46km-long retaining walls; green infrastructure;mass transit; planned transportation; walkways; proper road infrastructure;more than 10,000 acres of forest; orchards and urban farms; cruise; rivertransport ferries; river ecology through fish industry; and plantation ofmore than six million trees.
After the completion of the first phase, the project would createapproximately 873,000 direct and indirect jobs. Land estimates of netdevelopable area in phase-I would be 17,872 acres with estimated cost ofRs939 billion.
Meanwhile, PIDA Chairman Imran Amin, while briefing the cabinet aboutBundle Island Project, said the project would be completely sustainable,both technically and financially. “No loans would be taken for thisproject…funding would be through equity and project finance strategy tosupport the economy.”
He said the project would also be exploring more international ventures forhospitality, entertainment and commercial companies.
As per document, the Bundle Island Project would be recreated on theexisting Bundle/Buddo Islands surrounded by the Arabian Sea. The two islandsites would together yield a total developmental area of approximately8,000 acres. The islands are approximately 22km southeast of Karachi citycenter and 1.2km from the mainland by the existing fishermen’s route.
An existing Mangrove area located north Bundle/Buddo Island is proposed tobe reserved as an area, serving as fertile ground for education and furtherresearch and development.