Its about the past, present and future condition of River Ravi and what steps are being taken to conserve the Ravi ecosystem and its biodiversity.

1. River Ravi Situation

3. River Ravi
The Ravi is a transboundary river crossing Eastern Pakistan and
Northwestern India.

4. Countries: Pakistan, India
Main source: Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh
River mouth: Chenab River
River system: Indus River System
Tributaries: Bhadal River, Siul River, Baira River,
Tant Gari River
Length: 720 km (450 mi)
Discharge Average rate: 267.5 m3/s (9,450 cu ft/s)
The river drains a total catchment area of
14,442 km in India after flowing
for a length of 720km

5. Course of River Ravi
“The Ravi waters rise in the majestic Himalayas in the Indian
State of Himachal Pradesh and flows north-west past the
Chamba river and continuing by turning southwest at the
Jammu and Kashmir border. The river then flows into Pakistan
and after running a course of 50 miles (approx 80 kilometers)
enters the Punjab province past Lahore and turning west at
Kamalia. Finally, Ravi River empties itself into Chenab River at
the southern part of Ahmedpur Sial with a total course of 450
miles (725 kilometers).”

7. History of River Ravi
•As per Indian Vedas, Ravi was traditionally known as Iravati
also spelt and pronounced Airavati.
•To the ancient Greeks, Ravi River was referred to as the
Hydraotes.
•It was also called as Parushani.
• Part of the battle of the ten kings was fought on a River,
which according to Yaska (Nirukta 9.26) refers to the Iravati
River (Ravi River) in the Punjab.

8. Budha Darya
Budha Darya (Old Bed of River Ravi) are the remains of old
course of the River Ravi when it passed adjacent to the Lahore
Fort, with time river changed the course as the Ravi flows past
Lahore in Pakistan, since that city is on its eastern bank.

9. River Ravi in 1880

10. Present Scenario

11. Past situation of Ravi
•The river was a great attraction for tourists and gave a notable
place to local visitors.
• Shahdra bagh is on the west side of River Ravi where tomb of
Noor Jehan and Jahangir are situated.
• Ravi valley along the side of this river grew
•Mulberry
•Ilex
• walnut
•Daphne
• alder
• cypress
• pine,
• olive
• chinar.

12. These fruits and dry fruits were sent to nearby towns, exported to other
countries and were sold locally as well.
River Ravi offered its tourists various fun activities like fishing, water
skiing, riverside camping and water rafting.
Construction projects had also been developed on this river.
The number of tourists of Ravi River was high at both; summer time as well
as in winters.

13. Then and Now
“Ravi is no longer a river, but a sludge carrier”

15. •In 1947, after the partition between Pakistan and india, many
of the canal headworks remained with india.
•India wanted to damage Pakistan economically.
India cut off flow of water to west Punjab and stopped the
water of river Ravi and Sutlej.
Pakistan protested and india finally agreed on an agreement on
may 4, 1948.
•In 1952, Pakistan approached world bank as agreement was
not the permanent solution.
•After negotiations between the two countries through the
offices of the World Bank, it was finally in Ayub Khan’s
government.
•The agreement was signed between Pak-India in September
1960.
•This agreement is known as INDUS WATER TREATY.

16. •The treaty divided the use of rivers
and canals between the two
countries.
•Pakistan obtained exclusive rights
for three western rivers Indus,
Jehlum and Chenab.
•India retained three eastern rivers
Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
•Treaty guaranteed ten years of
uninterrupted water supply.
•A system of eight link canals was
also built and the remodeling of
existing canals was carried out.
•Five barrages and a gated siphon
were also constructed under this
treaty.

17. • The main reasons of Pak-India water issue are:
• Kishan Ganga Dam
•Baglihar Dam
•Ranjit Sagar Dam

18. Present Scenario of The Ravi
•Of Ravi’s total discharge of 28.08
m3/s, 23.43 m3/s is the municipal flow
and 4.65 m3/s the industrial flow.
•The annual flow has gradually
declined over years.
• Between 1922 and 1961 it was 7
million acre feet (MAF), thinning down
to 5 MAF between 1985 to 1995 and
further to 1.1 MAF between 2000 and
2009.
•Over 2009-10 it was 0.28 MAF.
According to an international panel of
experts, the flow should be a
minimum 5000 cusecs per day and 25
MAF every five years.

19. Drainage System of
Lahore:
•The Lahore’s drainage system comprises 8 major
and 75 tributary drains having carrying capacity of
7474 Cusecs.
• The length of total surface drains is 212 km, with
4 pumping stations and pumping capacity of 663
Cusecs.
•Originally, the purpose of these drains was to
collect the flood water and agricultural excess
water.
•But due to increase in population and rapid
industrialization of Lahore, the drains are now
mainly used to collect the industrial and municipal
effluents.

20. Major drains of Lahore
The major drains of Lahore include
• Shahdara drain,
•Mian Mir drain,
•Iqbal town drain,
• Garden town drain,
•Sattu Katla drain,
• Charar drain,
• Chota Ravi drain
•Hudiara drain

22. Facts
•271 industrial units in Lahore district, mainly
constituting of textile, dairy, paints & plastic,
chemical, food processing, pulp and paper
processing, poultry, pesticides, leather,
tanneries and pharmaceuticals are disposing
of around 281.6 cusec untreated waste into
drains.
•It has been reported that in Lahore, very few
industries, like 3 out of some 100 industries,
using hazardous chemicals, treat their
wastewater effectively.
•The pollution increases as the river flows
from Jassar to join river Chenab, its quality
deteriorates tremendously and it receives
greatest pollution load from Hudiara drain
and Deg Nullah from district Lahore.

23. BOD Level

24. Level of Metals:

25. Serial no:
Name of
Drains:
Discharge:
(Cusecs)
EPD (2008)
TDS (ppm)
2008 (EPD)
TDS (ppm)
2010 (IRI)
TDS (ppm)
2012(IRI)
1:
Mehmood
Booti Drain
20.87 312 775 1117
2:
Shad Bagh
Drain
139 520 663 1067
3:
Farukhabad
Darain
219 1000 1088 1627
4:
Budha Ravi
Drain
41.99 690 1006 1100
5:
Main Outfall
Drain
193 560 627 1154
6:
Gulshan-e-
ravi Drain
246.5 660 897 1035
7:
Babusabu
Drain
270.7 660 760
1135

26. River Ravi Development Zone Project
•The development of residential and commercial areas near Ravi is the most
talkative topic in now days.
• Government had passed the orders to plan the maps for project, so LDA could
start its work to develop a new and modern town aside the river in Lahore.
•Interestingly, the project includes developing an airport at sharaqpur.
• The news include that Ravi River will be cleaned up and new embankments will
be erected on both sides of River.

27. • In February 2014, the
government had approved a
Rs700 million to LDA to get the
feasibility of the project done by
a consultancy firm.
•Since Rs400 billion is required
for acquiring land, the
government may go for public-
private partnership mode or
BOT (build, operate and
transfer) model.
•Now the government asked the
LDA to focus on the Shahi Bagh
restoration project leaving
behind the Ravi Riverfront
Urban Development project.

28. River Ravi Commission
•The Commission was established by the Lahore High Court vide Order dated 8
June 2012.
• A Writ petition was submitted to the Green Bench of Lahore High court
based on the issues of discharge of untreated municipal and industrial
wastewater into the River Ravi.
• As a response to this writ petition, Lahore High Court made a Commission for
reviving the ecology of River Ravi.
•The Commission has members from the Provincial Government Departments
(Water and Sanitation Agency, Environmental Protection Department, Punjab),
Non-Governmental Organizations (WWF-Pakistan) and experts from
environmental organizations to find a solution for controlling pollution in River
Ravi .

29. Ravi Bioremediation Project
•A bioremediation project on the River
Ravi to bring down hazardous pollution
levels seems to be in the offing.
•It would feature water ponds spread
over an area of 50 acres.
•The cost of the project has been
estimated at Rs50 million.
• The Water and Sanitation Agency
(WASA) has acquired the land required
for a waste water treatment plant.

30. •Members of the subcommittee visited two bioremediation sites in Islamabad and
waste stabilisation ponds in
•Faisalabad to assess which was a better way to treat wastewater.
•They found the Bioremediation Garden and Bioremediation Orchard in Islamabad
to be the most efficient and cost-effective, they suggested that a 50-acre site be set
up at Babu Sabu for the treatment of 10 cusecs.
•

31. •The duration of the optimum temperature for functioning of microbes in a
bioremediation pond is longer in Lahore than in Islamabad, which may make
it more effective for Lahore.
•If work on the bioremediation site at Babu Sabu starts in February, it would
start functioning in three to six months.

32. River Ravi Hydrological Model
•It is a plan to first store the monsoon rainwater through reservoirs and keep it in the
lake as running or replenishing mode to avoid its stagnancy in dry weather (winter).
• For this, we initially have to make reservoirs and store the required monsoon
rainwater and keep this water running further in winter by adding 400 to 500 cusecs
of surplus water from the Upper Chenab Canal/BRB Canal that already throw
additional water in the lake at Bambawala point (near Sharqpur)
• There is also a proposal to get the required water quantity from Head Marala.

33. •The project would help Wasa store drinking water and supply it to the people without
any interruption.
• At present, Wasa supplies water directly from tube wells through pipelines to
consumers and during load shedding hours or the maintenance period, the supply is
suspended.
•If the reservoirs are built, the agency will be able to store water and supply it to the
residents of various localities.

34. Conclusion
On the basis of data collected some conclusions have been drawn:
1. River inflow is decreasing with the passage of time by which
pollution load in the River is increasing.
2. Municipal and industrial effluent are discharged which causes
pollution in the River.
3. Ravi River is contributing towards recharging aquifer.
4. Groundwater water levels in the aquifer are falling mainly due
to excessive pumpage and less recharge.
5. River starts from Ravi Syphon to shahdara and by moving
downward pollution is increasing

35. 6. Groundwater quality improves with the depth below natural
surface.
7. Sub-soil strata at most of the sites is generally sandy except
thin lens of clay/silt in the upper layer of 50 ft.
8.Permeability values increase generally with the depth below
the ground surface .
9. Slope of groundwater seepage line at Shahdara on left side
of River is steeper due to excessive pumpage of groundwater

36. Recommendations
 Regular monitoring of Surface water and ground water should be done by
relevant agencies in order to study the trends in surface and groundwater
pollution.
Environmental laws relating to protection of water resources should be strictly
implemented. Discharge of untreated domestic as well as industrial wastewater
into the river Ravi should be strictly curbed
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) should strictly implement the
National Environmental Quality Standards and force industries to install
treatment plants.
They should carry out random checks to monitor the regular working of the
treatment plans.
Public awareness campaigns to educate people.
The projects planned, should be completed.