The Lahore High Court directed, with immediate effect, water meters to be fixed in commercial bazaars with the burden to be borne by consumers. The order was made in a Friday hearing, with Justice Shahid Karim on the bench, as part of a continuing attempt to solve environmental issues, mainly smog control.
The court emphasized, in its proceedings, the criticality of avoiding wastage of water, laying stress on the need for an emergency declaration of water scarcity by the government. Justice Karim was critical of the available efforts, observing that irrespective of prior orders, wastage of water persists as a ubiquitous problem. The court was especially perturbed about the universal tendency of washing vehicles in front of houses and demanded imposition of stern measures, including penal action against defaulters.
The counsel representing the government of Punjab informed the court of its response that a committee, headed by Chief Secretary of Punjab, had been formed to address these issues. But still, the court was not convinced and insisted on more action. The court also asked for a comprehensive report on the situation of drought in Punjab with a briefing on how to better manage water sustainably.
The legal counsel of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Mian Irfan Akram, brought the court abreast of action taken towards introducing water-saving measures. The court was informed by him that a proposal had been forwarded to the government to buy 200,000 water meters and awaited its approval.
The court directed that the installation process to be accelerated and recovery of costs from commercial consumers. Aside from water conservation, the court also heard other environmental issues raised by its notice. It sought an update on intended changes to regulations related to Qingqi and rickshaws operated by loaders.
There was also a question raised about school buses, and Justice Karim was frustrated with the non-implementation of an earlier government ordinance by the government. Expressing incredulity over the government’s failure to regulate school owners, he lamented, “Are school owners so powerful that even the government remains helpless?” The counsel from the government of Punjab countered by claiming that talks with stakeholders were ongoing to formulate new guidelines.
At last, in its observation, the court proposed an original solution to environmental awareness—calling on students to take up environmental volunteering, promoting responsibility among the younger generation.