LAHORE: The Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) has begun validating methane capture mechanisms for the carbon credits and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) generated from the transformation of the Mehmood Booti dump site into an environmental park.
According to the RUDA here on Friday, to combat the strong heat-retaining impact of methane emissions, the RUDA has launched Pakistan’s first solid-waste methane mitigation project, strategically addressing ecological tipping points and reinforcing environmental feedback loops.
Independent validators Sergio Rodrigo Santano and Anne-Sophie Benedicte Judith Zirah spent three days evaluating the 13 million tons of waste beneath the area’s green covers. They also trained RUDA’s technical team on advanced monitoring, verification, and reporting (MVR). Ahad Yousaf, Director of Climate Change, actively supported the evaluation team through ground surveys, boundary mapping, and GHG footprint calculations aligned with official protocols.
The report will be submitted to the US based VEERA registry under article 6 and 6.2 of Paris agreement, duly endorsed by Pakistan Climate Change Policy 2021, Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017 and National Adaptation plan 2023 along with national clean air policy 2023.
Commenting on this achievement, RUDA CEO Imran Amin praised the achievement, noting it aligns with the Punjab Chief Minister’s environmental vision for the province. He lauded RUDA’s Climate Change and Engineering teams for successfully converting the dumpsite into a functional asset and launching Punjab’s first carbon credit initiative. This milestone highlights the remarkable journey of one of Pakistan’s largest dumpsites from ‘waste to wonder’ to ‘wonder to windfall’.
The RUDA is spearheading multiple climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. Key initiatives include flood protection structures, river training and floodplain management, river rewilding to restore biodiversity, and a biogas pilot project for methane reduction planned for all 91 villages. The portfolio also features large-scale afforestation for carbon sequestration and comprehensive wastewater treatment utilizing both engineered and nature-based wetlands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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