The Rawal Lake park site has lost 50 percent of its tree cover over the last two decades, according to satellite images released by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
The images compare the densely vegetated Lake View Point in 2004 with the same area in 2024, now marked by extensive human activity. The contrast lays bare the environmental cost of unplanned urban expansion in Islamabad.
The satellite imagery also captures a visible change in the dam’s water color, from a greenish hue in 2004 to a noticeably darker, blackish shade two decades later.
Some environmentalists suggest the darker colour could be linked to algae growth. However, they also point to the large volumes of sewage flowing into Rawal Dam from upstream areas and surrounding settlements over the years as a likely contributing factor.
In the first week of June, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) made a troubling discovery during a cleanup drive along the shores of Rawal Lake.
Teams found hazardous material, including discarded syringes, hospital waste, and large quantities of plastic items, underscoring the severe pollution threatening the lake’s ecosystem.
Pak-EPA Director Dr Zaigham Abbas, speaking to Dawn, said there was no question that pollution was entering the lake.
He added that his office had planned to plant 500,000 seed balls at various locations across the capital, including areas surrounding Rawal Lake, calling it one of the largest drives of the monsoon season.
A senior official in the Ministry of Climate Change described Islamabad’s situation as more than a planning failure.
“Islamabad’s crisis is not merely a failure in urban planning but a violation of ecological justice and fundamental rights,” the official said. “The polluted water of Rawal Lake impacts the health of the surrounding fauna and flora.”
Over the past 20 years, Lake View Park has seen the establishment of numerous recreational facilities.
These include barbecue points, Formula Karting and off-road tracks, a golf club, horse riding facilities, a dedicated food street, a paintball battlefield, Moj Mela Park, a carnival park, a children’s play area, and two large parking spaces.
According to Global Forest Watch (GFW), an initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI), Islamabad lost 14 hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2025.
This amounts to 0.46 percent of the tree cover area recorded in 2000 and resulted in 6.0 kilotonnes of carbon emissions.
GFW data indicates that 77 percent of tree cover loss in Islamabad during this period occurred in areas where the dominant drivers were linked to deforestation.
Settlements and infrastructure accounted for 4 hectares of loss, while permanent agriculture contributed another 4 hectares. Wildfires and logging were listed as temporary causes of forest cover loss.
When reached for comment, the spokesperson for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the civic body’s Director General Environment did not answer their phones.
Via Dawn
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