From The Nation, 28 November 2009
LAHORE-Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry while taking suo moto notice on an application Friday restrained Punjab government from felling trees for widening the Canal Bank Road besides summoning Chief Secretary, Environment Secretary and Project Director for December 1st at Islamabad.
‘Shajar Dost’, an organisation comprising environmentalists, had requested CJP on Wednesday, who was in the City for Eid holidays, to take suo moto notice of the issue and stop the government from cutting down trees. Their plea was that govt planned to start operation during Eid holidays, without meeting its obligations under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.
According to them, Punjab government is planning to widen road on both sides of the Canal from Thokar Niaz Baig to Dharampura underpass at a hefty cost of Rs 3.15 billion and that the project would cause cutting down of thousands of trees.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Road Widening Solution "Fallacy"
"Issue of the Week", by Zaheer Mahmoor Siddiqui in Dawn Metropolitan, 15 November 2009
LAHORE, Nov 14: Road widening has historically failed as a solution to traffic congestion and it is now a basic axiom of traffic design according to architects, town planners, environmentalists, lawyers, artists, prominent citizens and activists.
“Widened roads only attract more vehicles and eventually end up being inadequate for the everincreasing traffic load,” they share the opinion as they were asked to comment on the Punjab government’s decision to further widen Canal Bank Road.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had on Nov 7 approved the road widening project the first phase of which -- from Thokar Niaz Beg to Dharampura -- would be completed in a year at a cost of Rs3.15 billion.
An official of the Punjab Communication and Works de partment told Dawn that work on the project would be started soon after Eidul Azha. “It is the same project taken in hand by the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency of the Lahore Development Authority in 2007 after conducting its environ ment impact assessment (EIA). It was estimated to be completed for Rs700 million at that time but now with minor changes and enhanced prices of cement, iron and labour charges, its cost has increased to Rs3.15 billion,” said the official who sought anonymity.
He said the project was necessary to cope with the increased traffic load, especially due to Motorway traffic, and the vehicular movement towards Raiwind Road.
Over the past two decades, rapid growth in population and vehicles in Lahore has resulted in wor sening traffic situation, said the official, who added that vehicle registration had increased from 52 to over 116 per 1,000 inhabitants while the number of private cars had increased over the same period from 13 to over 100 per 1,000 inhabitants.
He said the traffic volume on Canal Road had doubled in the last four years to over 220,000 vehicles a day, which was almost twice the road capacity and widening of the road would overcome this problem.
The proposed length of the project to be upgraded is 14 kilometres and the improvement plan involves construction of an additional 18-foot-wide road plus six-footwide earthen shoulders on the each side. Resurfacing, development and improvement of service roads (all 18 feet wide), standardising access to/from service roads, construction of bus bays and shelters, development of green areas and plantation of trees are also included in the project, said the C&W official.
Lahore Bachao Tehreek convener and architect Imrana Tiwana, environmentalist Rafay Alam and conservationist Dr Ajaz Anwar argue that work on a project, estimated to consume hefty public money, could not be initiated without an environment impact assessment (EIA) report.
“The project will only add to the pollution in the city because it is an example of automobile dependant development. Investment in public transport over the last decade is negligible compared to the amounts successive governments have spent in elite-dominated automobilefriendly development.
Traffic congestion can be reduced in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner. The government should operate efficient public transport and augment Multan and Iqbal Town roads for better access to motorway and Raiwind,” said Imrana.
“The Rs700 million project’s EIA had flaws and was challenged in the Lahore High Court where it is still pending,” said Rafay Alam, also a lawyer. He said if the project had been revised, a fresh EIA would be required otherwise it would be in sheer violation of environmental laws.
“The huge amount being spent on widening of a road can better be utilised for the provision of public transport, education and health sectors,” said Alam while adding that the Lahore Bachao Tehrik and the Darakht Bachao Committee had pointed out flaws in the EIA conducted by Nespak in 2007 on remodelling of Canal Bank Road from Thokar Niaz Beg to Dharampura.
Alam said the EIA report on the project itself said it would have some adverse environmental impacts, including cutting of 1,850 trees, and loss of ecological habitat, a major adverse impact of the project. Other environmental impacts included handling and disposal of construction waste, contamination of surface and ground water, disruption of traffic, deterioration of air quality, increase in noise level, impact on pedestrian bridges, safety of workers and public and safety of pedestrians and cyclists, he maintained.
The EIA report was prepared in haste because it lacked the long-term impacts of the environmental changes to be caused by felling of trees. The sampling procedure, adopted by the EIA, was insufficient and it lacked reliability as it was only carried out for 24 hours and did not explain seasonal variations and other metrological factors. He said in creased air pollution due to felling of trees would badly affect health of millions.
“Increase in asthma, skin infections, heart and liver malfunctioning and spread of TB on a large scale are some adverse impacts the inhabitants of Lahore will have to face after completion of the project,” he maintained, asking what the government will do after the proposed road would be full of traffic.
He said besides questioning the eligibility of the Provincial Environmental Department for taking the EIA out of the project and said the EPD was a provincial department and it could not take the EIA out of a project of the Punjab government. He said the EIA should be prepared by the federal EPD to ensure transparency and good governance.
“The congestion figures in the EIA e.g. 200,000 cars a day are not a valid means of calculating how a road is used; it is silent over air pollution and does not contain assessments of base value, construction phase pollution, project lifetime estimates etc. Only noise and vibration information relates to the construction phase and does not assess the noise and vibration when the project is complete.
“It does not contain an assessment of the visual intrusion caused as a result of the project; it contains no assessment of how ‘severance’ caused by the road widening will affect the community, especially when one area the canal road passes through is the Punjab University and the EIA contains no reference as to how safety and accidents-related issues will be dealt with,” said Alam.
Quoting a World Wide Fund for Nature study, Dr Ajaz Anwar said a number of flaws in the EIA had been noticed during a rapid-assessment research conducted by the scientific committee of the fund.
The WWF research had revealed that the total vegetation on the canal bank comprised 6,557 shrubs and 14,831 trees, whereas the total number of mature trees on both greenbelts was 10,128.
But, according to a Nespak report, only 1,850 mature trees would be cut owing to the proposed road widening, he said. Whereas the study conducted by the WWF found that 5,299 mature trees would have to be cut to implement the project, requiring 18-foot widening of the road on both sides of green belts, he added.
Dr Anwar said mammals like small Indian mongoose and palm squirrel, insects like centipedes, earthworms, dragonfly, different types of butterflies such as peacock pansy and honeybees and amphibians such as Indus Valley Bullfrog, common frog, toads, besides reptiles like monitor lizards and geckos and some rare species of birds such as grey hornbill and yellow-footed green pigeon were also under serious threat due to destruction of their habitat.
“Besides causing all the ecological damage, the project would have serious impact on the health, aesthetic and socio-economic conditions of the residents and vendors of the area,” said the conservationist who had been a senior faculty member of the National College of Arts.
Quoting the WWF survey, he said, 95 per cent of the residents were against the cutting of trees. On inquiring, 30 per cent of them replied that there would be an ecological loss, 28 per cent feared loss of natural beauty and 10 per cent loss of protective function of the vegetation.
“Instead of massacring trees, encroachments occupying the roadsides should be removed in order to facilitate smooth traffic flow. An intra-city high volume bus service should also be introduced to reduce traffic load on the road, besides identification of alternate routes for diverting the traffic with the technical assistance of experts for sustainable development for such projects,” he said.
LAHORE, Nov 14: Road widening has historically failed as a solution to traffic congestion and it is now a basic axiom of traffic design according to architects, town planners, environmentalists, lawyers, artists, prominent citizens and activists.
“Widened roads only attract more vehicles and eventually end up being inadequate for the everincreasing traffic load,” they share the opinion as they were asked to comment on the Punjab government’s decision to further widen Canal Bank Road.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had on Nov 7 approved the road widening project the first phase of which -- from Thokar Niaz Beg to Dharampura -- would be completed in a year at a cost of Rs3.15 billion.
An official of the Punjab Communication and Works de partment told Dawn that work on the project would be started soon after Eidul Azha. “It is the same project taken in hand by the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency of the Lahore Development Authority in 2007 after conducting its environ ment impact assessment (EIA). It was estimated to be completed for Rs700 million at that time but now with minor changes and enhanced prices of cement, iron and labour charges, its cost has increased to Rs3.15 billion,” said the official who sought anonymity.
He said the project was necessary to cope with the increased traffic load, especially due to Motorway traffic, and the vehicular movement towards Raiwind Road.
Over the past two decades, rapid growth in population and vehicles in Lahore has resulted in wor sening traffic situation, said the official, who added that vehicle registration had increased from 52 to over 116 per 1,000 inhabitants while the number of private cars had increased over the same period from 13 to over 100 per 1,000 inhabitants.
He said the traffic volume on Canal Road had doubled in the last four years to over 220,000 vehicles a day, which was almost twice the road capacity and widening of the road would overcome this problem.
The proposed length of the project to be upgraded is 14 kilometres and the improvement plan involves construction of an additional 18-foot-wide road plus six-footwide earthen shoulders on the each side. Resurfacing, development and improvement of service roads (all 18 feet wide), standardising access to/from service roads, construction of bus bays and shelters, development of green areas and plantation of trees are also included in the project, said the C&W official.
Lahore Bachao Tehreek convener and architect Imrana Tiwana, environmentalist Rafay Alam and conservationist Dr Ajaz Anwar argue that work on a project, estimated to consume hefty public money, could not be initiated without an environment impact assessment (EIA) report.
“The project will only add to the pollution in the city because it is an example of automobile dependant development. Investment in public transport over the last decade is negligible compared to the amounts successive governments have spent in elite-dominated automobilefriendly development.
Traffic congestion can be reduced in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner. The government should operate efficient public transport and augment Multan and Iqbal Town roads for better access to motorway and Raiwind,” said Imrana.
“The Rs700 million project’s EIA had flaws and was challenged in the Lahore High Court where it is still pending,” said Rafay Alam, also a lawyer. He said if the project had been revised, a fresh EIA would be required otherwise it would be in sheer violation of environmental laws.
“The huge amount being spent on widening of a road can better be utilised for the provision of public transport, education and health sectors,” said Alam while adding that the Lahore Bachao Tehrik and the Darakht Bachao Committee had pointed out flaws in the EIA conducted by Nespak in 2007 on remodelling of Canal Bank Road from Thokar Niaz Beg to Dharampura.
Alam said the EIA report on the project itself said it would have some adverse environmental impacts, including cutting of 1,850 trees, and loss of ecological habitat, a major adverse impact of the project. Other environmental impacts included handling and disposal of construction waste, contamination of surface and ground water, disruption of traffic, deterioration of air quality, increase in noise level, impact on pedestrian bridges, safety of workers and public and safety of pedestrians and cyclists, he maintained.
The EIA report was prepared in haste because it lacked the long-term impacts of the environmental changes to be caused by felling of trees. The sampling procedure, adopted by the EIA, was insufficient and it lacked reliability as it was only carried out for 24 hours and did not explain seasonal variations and other metrological factors. He said in creased air pollution due to felling of trees would badly affect health of millions.
“Increase in asthma, skin infections, heart and liver malfunctioning and spread of TB on a large scale are some adverse impacts the inhabitants of Lahore will have to face after completion of the project,” he maintained, asking what the government will do after the proposed road would be full of traffic.
He said besides questioning the eligibility of the Provincial Environmental Department for taking the EIA out of the project and said the EPD was a provincial department and it could not take the EIA out of a project of the Punjab government. He said the EIA should be prepared by the federal EPD to ensure transparency and good governance.
“The congestion figures in the EIA e.g. 200,000 cars a day are not a valid means of calculating how a road is used; it is silent over air pollution and does not contain assessments of base value, construction phase pollution, project lifetime estimates etc. Only noise and vibration information relates to the construction phase and does not assess the noise and vibration when the project is complete.
“It does not contain an assessment of the visual intrusion caused as a result of the project; it contains no assessment of how ‘severance’ caused by the road widening will affect the community, especially when one area the canal road passes through is the Punjab University and the EIA contains no reference as to how safety and accidents-related issues will be dealt with,” said Alam.
Quoting a World Wide Fund for Nature study, Dr Ajaz Anwar said a number of flaws in the EIA had been noticed during a rapid-assessment research conducted by the scientific committee of the fund.
The WWF research had revealed that the total vegetation on the canal bank comprised 6,557 shrubs and 14,831 trees, whereas the total number of mature trees on both greenbelts was 10,128.
But, according to a Nespak report, only 1,850 mature trees would be cut owing to the proposed road widening, he said. Whereas the study conducted by the WWF found that 5,299 mature trees would have to be cut to implement the project, requiring 18-foot widening of the road on both sides of green belts, he added.
Dr Anwar said mammals like small Indian mongoose and palm squirrel, insects like centipedes, earthworms, dragonfly, different types of butterflies such as peacock pansy and honeybees and amphibians such as Indus Valley Bullfrog, common frog, toads, besides reptiles like monitor lizards and geckos and some rare species of birds such as grey hornbill and yellow-footed green pigeon were also under serious threat due to destruction of their habitat.
“Besides causing all the ecological damage, the project would have serious impact on the health, aesthetic and socio-economic conditions of the residents and vendors of the area,” said the conservationist who had been a senior faculty member of the National College of Arts.
Quoting the WWF survey, he said, 95 per cent of the residents were against the cutting of trees. On inquiring, 30 per cent of them replied that there would be an ecological loss, 28 per cent feared loss of natural beauty and 10 per cent loss of protective function of the vegetation.
“Instead of massacring trees, encroachments occupying the roadsides should be removed in order to facilitate smooth traffic flow. An intra-city high volume bus service should also be introduced to reduce traffic load on the road, besides identification of alternate routes for diverting the traffic with the technical assistance of experts for sustainable development for such projects,” he said.
Battle for Lahore
By Jalees Hazir (in The Nation, 15 November 2009)
The Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved a Rs 3.5 billion road-widening project for the Lahore Canal Road from Dharampura to Thokar Niaz Beg. This ill-advised plan threatens the most valuable asset of the city and will cause irreparable damage to not only the natural environment, but also the unique and friendly social fabric of the city, if it goes ahead. The question is: Why does the chief minister, who does not tire of harping upon his sincerity to the people, want to embark upon such an anti-people disaster?
Read the rest of this excellent article here.
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