CM pledges submission of plan on effluent treatment in 3 weeks

LAHORE, Feb 11 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad
Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday assured the Supreme Court that a
comprehensive plan to address the issues of untreated
effluent discharge into rivers, provision of clean drinking
water and disposal of hospital waste would be submitted in
the court within three weeks.
The chief minister made the assurance before a three-
member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who was
hearing several suo motu notices of public importance here at
the Supreme Court Lahore Registry.
As the proceedings began, the chief justice observed that
these proceedings were not of adverse nature but a collective
effort to settle the issues besides acknowledging the arrival
of the chief minister on court’s call.
Amicus Curie Advocate Ayesha Hamid submitted a report on
discharge of untreated effluent into rivers from Lahore,
Multan, Rawalpindi, Gujranawala and Faisalabad.
She submitted that every day 540 million gallons of
effluent was being discharged into river Ravi from Lahore, whereas
Faisalabad produces 290 million gallons, Rawalpindi 96 million
gallons, Gujranawala 162 million gallons and Multan 230
million gallons and the same was discharged into rivers.
She mentioned that Faisalabad had a treatment plant, which
treats almost six per cent of effluent and almost a third of
effluent was treated in Multan before discharge into
rivers. She also apprised the bench about Punjab government’s
plan of installing six treatment plants in Lahore with the help of
Asian Development Bank and others.
At this, the chief justice asked the chief minister to
suggest measures to settle the issue. He also expressed his
reservations over outsourcing of hospitals’ waste disposal in
the province.
To which, the chief minister submitted that his government
was making all-out efforts to serve masses, and it had gone beyond
the call of duty. Shehbaz Sharif said that he believes
in transparency and his government had managed to save billions
of rupees in various mega projects.
He apprised the court about the energy projects, initiated
in the province and submitted that they were installed on almost
half the cost compared with Guddu power project.
To a court query, he said that emissions from Sahiwal
coal-fire plant were below the international limits. He
also sought three weeks time to come up with plans to address
the issues raised by the court.
Adjourning the hearing, the bench also drawn the attention
of the chief minister towards contaminated water issue.
The chief justice also remarked during the hearing that
general elections would be held in a fair and transparent manner.