Evaluation of Environmental & Physical Impacts of Mega Transportation Projects: A Case of Lahore

Abstract

The environmental effects allied with mega constructions often have remarkable negative bearings on cities. Cities around the globe function better when they have a refined public transportation system. Unfortunately, while developing Asian megacities, governments have failed to develop sustainable transportation system and the cities suffer from serious environmental hazards in the midst of urban growth. The absence of efficient policies regarding public transport is notable cause for such prompt escalation of diverse problems like increase in number of personal automobile, which further causes congestion on the road resulting in air and noise pollution, which ultimately affect the human’s health. Therefore, Pakistan, as a developing country, has a foremost crisis on its hands. Traffic congestion in Pakistan is mostly coped by constructing overheads and subways, but constructing these is not the answer. Transportation issues need to be integrated with an inclusive plan that includes better transit and public transport systems. To solve the traffic problems of metropolitan city of Lahore, the projects like Azadi Square, Kalma Intersection, Orange line train and Metro Bus have been undertaken. Such projects aim at reducing automobile dependency, to limit land waste, to address sustainability of transport system and to make the places healthy where people live and work more conveniently. But in reality, the city environment is a lot disturbed because of these projects. There is a lot of nuisance occurring and there are no proper measures to reduce or minimize the environmental harms being caused by these projects. This paper will highlight the hazardous impacts of construction of mega transportation projects on the environment of Lahore. Review of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and news-papers upon these projects is carried out which reveals that these mega projects usually do not follow the Environmental impact requirements and standards.