PROFILE OF IMPLEMENTING ORGANISATION

WWF - Pakistan is the largest conservation non-government organisation of the country established in 1970. Its mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:

§ Conserving the world's biological diversity
§ Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
§ Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption

WWF ? P carried out a water quality monitoring project of the Hudiara Drain (PAK/SGP/OP3) from 1999 ? 2001. The main objectives of this 2-year study were to assess the nature and extent of pollution in the Hudiara Drain, drain?s water impact on soil quality and on the health of locals (epidemiological study), drain?s contribution to the total pollution load in the Ravi and the development of Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) for this drain.
Based on the findings of this project the second phase (2004-2005) of this project was developed title Hudiara Project Phase II (PAK/03/42) in which a baseline of industrial data and community information was obtained and integrated into a comprehensive Geographical Information System. 112 industrial units and villages along the drain were surveyed to assess point sources of pollution and its health hygiene effects on the community.

2. JUSTIFICATION FOR SUPPORT:

Hudiara Drain was originally a storm water drain used for irrigation and domestic purposes. This water body drained into River Ravi, hence supporting its aquatic health too. With the rise in industrial activities both on Indian and the Pakistani side and in the absence of environmental regulations, the storm water drain turned into an untreated and highly polluted industrial drain. The drain water is still being used by the village people for irrigation and livestock purposes and it still drains into Ravi, thereby further increasing the pollution load of Ravi. In its project on Water Quality Monitoring of Hudiara Drain, WWF - P had assessed the environmental health of this drain and had found it to be highly unsatisfactory; it was unfit for irrigation use, it had high levels of heavy metal, it was biologically contaminated and did not support any aquatic life and, moreover, was contributing to groundwater contamination. WWF - P then proposed a project with multiple objectives. Firstly to develop a baseline of the industrial data on the drain and health hygiene conditions of the community and based on this assessment provide treatment alternatives for reducing its pollution load. The first year of Hudiara Phase II has been completed in which industrial surveys were carried out of 95 units along the drain, their comprehensive GIS database was developed and community surveys were conducted in 5 villages to assess the health/hygiene conditions. Training workshops on Implementation of CP options were also conducted for industries.

Based on Year 1 findings and in consultation with the Task Force members, WWF has designed a pre-feasibility study with the objective to carry out a detailed technical and economic analysis of the options for control of pollution in Hudiara Drain. (Detailed working paper on ?Wastewater Treatment Alternatives for Hudiara drain: A pre-feasibility study? is attached as Annexure II)

As originally planned we still feel that there is a dire need for standards on river/surface water quality standards. The NEQS are industrial water quality standards and cannot be used as a yardstick for water quality in an open drain. If the water quality of Hudiara Drain is allowed to be regulated by NEQS, there will be a huge strain on the groundwater quality in the region and the aquatic life of Ravi. Therefore, the NEQS should be enforced at the property line of each industry whereas the samples collected from Hudiara Drain should not be analysed with respect to the NEQS. Similarly, Irrigation water Quality Standards (IWQS) should be enforced at the farms/ field and the irrigation water should be monitored with these standards.

In short, all three regulations should be enforced but Hudiara Drain water should be controlled by River Water Quality Standards (RWQS), which first have to be defined. Moreover, the IWQS which have to be formulated as well, should control the water quality for irrigation while the NEQS should control the water quality of industrial effluents.

Institutions such as federal and provincial Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs), Provincial Irrigation and Drainage Authorities (PIDA), Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA), Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities, Industrial Associations like LCCI etc. need definitive reforms.

Agricultural communities along Hudiara Drain are the direct affectees of the drain pollution hazards. Their agricultural lands are situated along its banks, and they use the contaminated water for irrigation through direct installation of irrigation pumps in the drain. The drain water is also used for the livestock drinking and bathing. In order to have a snapshot of the situation, a baseline community survey was conducted in five out of 26 villages along Hudiara Drain within a diameter of one kilometer. The basic objective of the survey was to assess the socio-economic conditions, health/hygiene conditions, and the level of awareness regarding the health hazards attached with the usage of Hudiara drain water for irrigation and other purposes. The findings of the survey have provided a clear path to follow for the improvement of the present health/hygiene and the awareness situation among the villages. For public involvement in the activities, two health camps were arranged as a motivational factor. Alongwith provision of free medical check up and medicines, the patients were also sensitized about the potential effects of drain water usage on human health and well being.

The next step towards the community component of the project is the need and resource assessment of the selected village. For the purpose, comprehensive PRA will be conducted to ensure the community participation while discussing their needs and resources. Based on the findings of PRA, the village health and education plan will be developed with the help of community itself. The scope of plan implication has also been broadened after recommendation from the taskforce. Detailed development plan will be devised after the findings of the PRA. But the findings of the baseline survey have provided an outline for the health, education, and water & sanitation related interventions in the village. Keeping in view the poor situation of basic health facilities, health sector will be more emphasized upon.







3. CONTEXT/BASELINE OF ACTIVITY:

The project aims to address the issue of pollution load of the Hudiara Drain. With the baseline data at hand we now want to focus on the actual implementation of treatment alternatives for pollution control in Hudiara. For that matter a pre-feasibility of various treatment options is required with technical and economic analysis which will be followed by the feasibility study of the most viable option. This is a necessary initial component of the implementation phase without which we cannot reach to the adoption of most viable option. The scope of this pre-feasibility includes collection and review of secondary data keeping in view the hydraulic capacity of the drain and proposed housing developments in the area.

Two major outputs of the project are sensitization of the industries through information dissemination, to adopt Cleaner Production (CP) Options and development of water quality standards. In the last year we have developed a liaison with Cleaner Production Institute (CPI) who are running a project on Implementation of Cleaner Production Technologies to Textile Industries and Tanneries. Therefore through this project we will also facilitate such options to the progressive industries identified in the first year of the project. We also have the support of LCCI who itself is interested in these solutions but due to lack of technical knowledge they have yet not been able to do something significant. Fortunately, MoU with LCCI has been signed in the first year and we have representation from them in our Task Force that has been developed on the project. We plan to now work with them more vigorously particularly with the progressive industries who have committed to implement CP options.

About the water quality standards, WWF ? P plans to develop such standards and submit them to the government, who in turn would finalize the implementation. Government recognises the need for such standards and once implemented, these standards would stay and serve as a yardstick to monitor pollution levels of all rivers, canals and drains.

The baseline community surveys came up with alarming findings regarding the health/hygiene conditions, and the level of awareness about the harmful effects of drain water usage was very low. The situation was found to be worse in the two villages (Hudiara and Halloki). The water-born and pollution related diseases were more prevalent. To provide a quick relief to those villages, free health camps were arranged in collaboration with Red Crescent Pakistan. Out of these two vulnerable villages, one village (Hudiara) has been selected to conduct PRAs and to develop a comprehensive health and education plan to make that a model village.

Another interesting development due to negotiations with WWF ? India last year was that our counterpart in India has also got funds for the clean up of Hudiara at their side of the border. Therefore now cross border activities will be a lot more than previous years and will give a chance to share and learn from each others? experiences. The pre-feasibility that we are proposing will provide us with technical and economic analysis of the treatment alternatives and can be shared with our Indian counterpart to be replicated on their side of the border.


4. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND PROPOSED ACTIVITY:

Primary objectives
There are three primary objectives for the Phase of Hudiara Drain Study. These are:
· Based on year 1 data, conduct a pre-feasibility study in order to identify and carry out a detailed technical and economic analysis of the options for pollution control in Hudiara Drain.
· To develop Irrigation/agriculture Water Quality Standards and Surface Water Classification Standards.
· To raise awareness amongst the communities using drain water for irrigation and other domestic purposes.

Specific Objectives:
§ To undertake measures for the improvement of water quality of a Hudiara Drain (a transboundary water channel)
§ To reduce the pollution load of Hudiara Drain through active participation of stakeholders

Project beneficiaries:

· Industry (along the banks of Hudiara Drain): Technical Assistance provided to industry will help them adopt cost effective, indigenous environmental solutions and will build the capacity of the professionals working in the industry regarding Better Management Practices.

· Local Farmers & Community: The ultimate goal of the project is to improve the water quality of Hudiara drain. This improvement in the drain water quality will have a positive impact on the environment, in general, and the quality of life of the villagers in particular. The community members are using this water for the purpose of irrigation through lift pumps as well as this water is a major source for their livestock bathing and drinking. Also this water is contaminating the underground water through seepage. In the next phase PRA study of the project is proposed to be conducted in order to find out the current situation of the community and its basic needs. This will bring forward the current health, education and sanitation facilities available in the village and the techniques to improve their quality of life. A complete plan will also be developed to improve the current infrastructure, agriculture and livestock conditions by creating awareness and organizing local community and developing a liaison with govt. departments, Local NGOs/CBOs, national developmental organizations and international donor agencies. Following this plan this village will become a model village and it could be replicated to other affected villages.


5. PROJECT STRATEGY:

WWF ? P believes in developing partnerships with stakeholder organisations. We always feel that collaboration with partner institutes results in combining the synergies of institutions to obtain realistic and achievable outputs. Under this project we have identified the roles and responsibilities of some of the stakeholder institutes as follows:


· WWF - Pakistan: Freshwater & Toxics Programme will carry out activities in collaboration with the identified stakeholders and partners under the scope of the project. Major activities are as follows:
· Facilitate the process of carrying out the pre-feasibility and identifying the most viable treatment alternative for the drain water.
· Develop River Water quality and Surface Water Quality Standards and submit to government for its approval.
· Continue liaison with WWF ? India and keep track of the activities being carried out there and inform them about updates on our side.
· Develop a mega project based on the pre-feasibility that includes the feasibility and implementation for the most viable treatment alternative for pollution control of Hudiara Drain.

· Cleaner Production Institute (CPI): CPI will take the lead in carrying out the pre-feasibility study with the objective to identify technical and economic analysis of the options for control of pollution in Hudiara Drain. Their major activities will be as follows:

o Collection and review of secondary data
o Field surveys
o Flow monitoring and characterisation
o Analysis of the study and preparation of final report

CPI will also continue providing technical assistance to industry by providing them with cost effective indigenous environmental solutions (As pert of their project). In this context they will develop dissemination material, identify resource persons and develop training plans, manuals etc. CPI is already working with some textile industries under its cleaner production programme.

· Institute of Environmental Engineering and Research (U.E.T): IEER has been approached and Dr. Waris who is the Director IEER has been identified as a Technical Advisor for the pre-feasibility and will be responsible to carry a detailed review of the final report and options presented.

· Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI):
As LCCI has been identified as a key partner in carrying out this project therefore a more specific role has been identified and LCCI has agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with WWF ? Pakistan. The key elements of this MoU are as follows:
§ Ensure the disclosure of data from industry if required under the pre-feasibility
§ Ensure its representation and active participation in the Project Advisory Committee (PAC).

· Local NGOs/CBOs:
Would help in developing relations with the communities and, where required, WWF will build their capacity in managing environmental issues. Also they would provide data about community in order to develop a comprehensive health and education plan. Developing liaison with local NGOs will be the most effective tool to bring positive change in the community. Since, they are already working with the local community, have intervened in some aspects, have built their rapport and, above all, they represent the local community. Therefore they are more aware of local customs and culture, local needs and resources and the techniques to change the attitude of their community towards environmental issues.

· Environment Protection Department ? Punjab:
EPD ? Punjab will assist and facilitate in various activities lying under the scope of this project.

· Irrigation Department: Would provide with the necessary information about the drain and its tributaries.

· Civil Society Organisations in India: A dialogue will be initiated with the CSO in India through SGP/GEF UNDP India to encourage the Indian partners to involve stakeholders at their end to take measures for reducing the pollution load in the drain. They will also be contacted in order to explore opportunities for resource mobilisation.

· Government Aid Agencies: They will also be kept informed about the activities of Hudiara Drain Phase 2 project and opportunities for resource mobilisation will be explored in order to carry out the activities planned for a mega-project on implementation.

· City District Government (Nazim): Would provide assistance in carrying out environmental assessments in various industries. They will also provide us with the list of industries located on the bank of the drain. They will also be involved in community outreach program and also their capacity will be built on cleaner production options for the industry.

· GEF/SGP Pakistan:

· GEF/SGP is providing a major portion of the financial resources needed for the execution of this project.
· GEF/SGP would also be required to share the lessons learnt from other similar projects.
· They will also be required to facilitate the coordination with local partners for their support.
· GEF SGP Pakistan will be required to coordinate with GEF/SGP India to mobilize local NGO?s to conduct similar activities in India.

· GEF/SGP India:

· GEF/SGP UNDP India would be required to develop linkages with Civil Society Organisations, other small NGOs and CBOs working in areas around drain on their side and facilitate a similar activity on their side of the border.





Project Sustainability:

The proposed Pre-feasibility will present a detailed technical and economic analysis of the options for control of pollution in Hudiara drain. It will also present the most viable option for pollution control. This option will then be worked on in detail and a feasibility and implementation phase will then be designed for a mega project. The continued provision of technical assistance to industry in the form of cost effective indigenous environmental solutions, particularly to the four identifies progressive units will help them continue to practicing BMPs even after the course of the project.

In addition for Irrigation and River Water Quality will be developed which will be used to determine the quality of water as per required usage.

Under the community outreach programme, situational analyses have been conducted. The findings of the survey have provided a clear path to follow for the improvement of the present health/hygiene and the awareness situation among the villages. For public involvement in the activities, two health camps were arranged as a motivational factor. Alongwith provision of free medical check up and medicines, the patients were also sensitized about the potential effects of drain water usage on human health and well being.

During this year we plan to carry out PRAs in Hudiara village to assess the needs and resources of the village. PRAs will also be helpful to bridge the gap between WWF and the local community, and will help to bring both parties on same wave length. A comprehensive plan will be developed to make Hudiara a model village with reference to water supply, sanitation, health and education facilities. This plan can be replicated in other villages as well.

The Transboundary dialogue initiatives with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on both sides of the border during the project course have resulted into the approval of project on Hudiara in India through UNDP-SGP India. Therefore the continuity of the project has become more critical so that continuous and simultaneous measures can be taken on both sides of the border.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

Specific Objectives:
§ To undertake measures for the improvement of water quality of Hudiara Drain (a transboundary water channel)
§ To reduce the pollution load of Hudiara Drain through active participation of stakeholders.

Primary objectives:
There are three primary objectives for the Phase of Hudiara Drain Study. These are:
· Based on year 1 data, conduct a pre-feasibility study in order to identify and carry out a detailed technical and economic analysis of the options for pollution control in Hudiara Drain.
· To develop Irrigation/agriculture Water Quality Standards and Surface Water Classification Standards.
· To raise awareness amongst the communities using drain water for irrigation and other domestic purposes.