LAHORE: The Citizens’ Collective for Just Energy Development (CCJED), a coalition of civil society organisations, along with legislators, political leaders, lawyers, journalists, environmentalists and energy experts, has urged the government to address the concerns of communities affected by the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant.

At the consultative dialogue, Pind Sudhaar Services (PSS), a CCJED member, presented a research report here, documenting the evidence of the impacts on the area and the locals, said a press release.

The PSS findings are based on a survey of 121 households, focus group discussions, interviews and official records. They show that households relying primarily on agriculture fell from 35pc to 16pc after the plant started operations and that only three percent of households depend on the plant as their main source of income. The research also highlighted the lack of environmental monitoring reports and corporate social responsibility accounts. The Huaneng Sahiwal Welfare Trust was established to receive two percent of the plant operator’s annual net profit, but no record of its receipts or expenditure was publicly available until April 2026.

Locals said the quality of drinking water had deteriorated while the closure of an irrigation outlet for the plant’s operational requirements had deprived 275 acres of land of canal water.

PSS representatives Alweera Waqas, Shafiq and Rashid Chaudhry said the plant’s construction on private agricultural land had disrupted livelihoods, irrigation, drinking water supplies and local mobility.

Mr Rafay of the Alternative Law Collective (ALC), a CCJED partner, said the true cost imposed on communities by coal projects could not be calculated easily because it impacted the future generations as well. He called for transparency, recognition of community voices and integrated methods and approaches to evaluate the true impacts of mega projects and justice for the communities.

Abdullah Cheema from Lok Sujag said the benefits of development were shared by a much wider population and, therefore, their cost should not be borne by host communities alone.

PML-N MPA Somia Atta Shahani assured community representatives that she would raise their concerns in the Punjab Assembly. PPP Central Punjab Information Secretary Shehzad Saeed Cheema said the selection of Sahiwal as the site of a coal-fired power plant had not been an appropriate decision.

Asad Buzdar and Zara from the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development, JI leader Khalid Ahmed Butt, Durre Shehwar of the Punjab Climate Action Network (PCAN) and Abdullah Malik advocate also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026