A brief sketch of Hudiara Drain Phase I project:

Hudiara Drain is a transboundary water channel. It originates in India and after covering a stretch of 55 km in Pakistan, falls into River Ravi. During the Phase I of the Hudiara Drain Project, WWF – Pakistan carried out a comprehensive water quality monitoring of the drain and found various water quality parameters exceeding the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) thus making it unfit for drinking and irrigation purposes. This comprehensive study also contained the epidemiological aspects that explored a number of health hazards directly connected with Hudiara Drain. It found contaminated drinking and groundwater. A number of health problems like skin diseases, eye problems, water related & bone diseases, cancer and decay among children were diagnosed at macro level. Ground water & irrigated land was containing heavy toxic metals that were entering into food chain. Ultimately through food chain, this toxicity was entering into a large segment of Lahore city population.

For further information please contact:

Ms. Hania Aslam
Project Coordinator
Freshwater & Toxics Programme
haslam@wwf.org.pk