LAHORE: Long-awaited Rs50bn Babu Sabu Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) project has finally entered its final stages of planning and implementation after the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved it.

The project, being built with the financial support of a French funding agency, would now be sent to the federal government for approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), Dawn has learnt.

The initiative, aligned with the approved master plan of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Lahore, aims to provide the city with its first large-scale wastewater treatment facility.

The project was first planned decades ago with Wasa acquiring 836 acres of land for it in 1992–93. However, despite multiple attempts, it could not move forward for many years. The provincial government recently took up the project and finally it was approved in the PWDP meeting on Aug 13. Now this much-awaited project will hopefully gain momentum and would swiftly move towards its implementation and final stages.

The project, approved by PDWP, to be sent to Ecnec

Under Phase-I, sewage from central Lahore, including flows from the Cantt Drain, Multan Road and Gulshan-i-Ravi Pumping Stations, will be discharged into the Ravi River after treatment, marking a major step towards reducing pollution and improving the city’s environmental health. The project is being advanced with the special interest of Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb who is focused on environment-friendly initiatives for a cleaner and healthier Punjab.

“The treated water from the Babu Sabu Wastewater Treatment Plant will not only be discharged into the Ravi River but also be made available for agricultural purposes, helping conserve freshwater resources and promote sustainable irrigation practices,” said Punjab Secretary for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Noorul Amin Mengal while talking to Dawn.

“All relevant departments would be taken on board to ensure effective coordination,” he added.

With the support of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), a French funding agency, the project would be developed under the design, build, and Operate (DBO) model, with Phase-I designed to treat 88 million gallons per day (MGD) and an ultimate total capacity of 198 MGD.

According to the project’s concept paper, the Babu Sabu WWTP will be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs50.2bn in three phases: a 12-month pre-construction stage, followed by 42 months of construction, and a 36-month period for operations and maintenance (O&M). The project operations’ works include screening, primary and secondary treatment, sludge treatment, sludge disposal and storage, biogas utilization and cogeneration, odor treatment, and a treated effluent channel.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025