Islamabad: The Senate Committee expressed serious concern on the report Wednesday, showing that the water in the Rawal dam is completely unsafe, while 62% of the water in the Simli dam is not suitable for human consumption.
The revelation was conducted at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change led by Senator Sherry Rehman to review disturbing findings about the Rawal and Simli dams.
A study by the Pakistan Water Resources Research Council showed that 62% of water is unsafe after filtration, while Rawal Dam Water is 100% consumed by humans.
Despite the Supreme Court’s order, sewage pollution still exists in the water. Senator Rehman criticized attempts to hide data and said: “When local surface water is not safe, filtration becomes meaningless. We are here to review your work, not to remain silent.”
Sherry urges government to immediately expand BISP aid to flooded families
The report covers July to August 2025. The meeting observed that the Supreme Court had earlier directed the Punjab government to immediately act on the 7Age pollution of the Rawal Dam, but did not take any action.
Senator Rehman demanded transparency in water quality reports and urgent measures should be taken to keep Rawal and Simly Dams free of contamination.
She said: “Pakistan faces climate disaster every year.
discuss The latest floodshe urged the government to immediately expand the Benazier Income Support Program (BISP) assistance to nearly 3 million flood-affected families nationwide.
“The delay in financial transfers has caused pain to three million people. The country should mobilize international support as it does in 2022, rather than a new mini budget,” Senator Lehman said. The committee endorsed her recommendation.
The committee also directed the authorities to map the waterways in the country, identify blockages along the Indus River and its tributaries, and explore affordable solutions for water storage. Committee members expressed concern about the “projection problem” of Pakistan’s meteorological department.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) told the committee that 998 people were killed and 1.062 were injured in the recent floods, with 3 million people affected in Punjab alone. Nearly 300,000 people display live in tents, while 2,000 relief camps are active nationwide.
Senator Lehman directed the relevant officials to share detailed data or impact personnel, and to improve standards for relief camps and ensure water, electricity and health services in these camps.
She criticized the delay, turned to the GLOF-II project, noting that since 2017, only 15% of the budget has been spent on early warning systems, while 30% has won administrative costs.
Posted in Dawn on September 18, 2025
