LAHORE: Punjab’s first-ever large scale project to build 358 underground water storage tanks across the province has been approved by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to recharge groundwater and improve rainwater drainage.The decision was taken during a special video-link meeting chaired by the chief minister to review the Punjab Development Programme, clean water initiatives, and the Model Village Project. Officials also presented a pictorial review of the ongoing projects.

Under the plan, 34 large underground tanks will be constructed in urban areas to ensure timely rainwater drainage, while 324 roadside tanks will be built to remove water accumulated on streets. Recharge wells alongside the tanks will help restore groundwater levels, and the stored water will be treated at water treatment plants for irrigation purposes. Additionally, 328 wastewater treatment plants will be established across the province.

The meeting was informed that 6,100 kilometres of streets will be paved, 3,498 kilometres of sewerage lines laid, 14,679 streetlights installed, and 33 million square feet of tuff tiles placed in streets and pathways. To improve drainage and municipal services, 526 modern machines and tractors will be deployed. A factory in Lahore for producing sewerage pipelines with a 100-year lifespan has also been installed and is expected to begin production soon.

These Punjab Development Programme projects have been initiated in Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Okara, Jhang, Multan, and Sialkot, while projects in Jhelum, Hafizabad, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, and Rawalpindi will start soon.

Initially, the tanks will be built in Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Okara, Jhang, Multan and Sialkot

Under the Punjab Rural Sanitation Improvement Programme, drainage systems will be developed in rural areas, and Rs59 billion will be spent on 485 villages under the Model Village Project, with work already started in 200 villages. Wastewater ponds will be cleaned, treatment plants installed, and treated water supplied for irrigation.

The chief minister directed authorities to ensure proper functioning of filtration plants for clean drinking water, prioritise paved streets in villages, and complete drainage projects before the monsoon season, with Gujrat and Sialkot to be given special attention.

CM Maryam said that the scale of development work being undertaken in Punjab today had not been seen in the past 70-80 years, and predicted that within five years, a modern, transformed, and beautiful Punjab would emerge.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026