The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has greenlit a major rainwater storage project aimed at addressing urban flooding in key areas of Lahore.
The new water reservoir will serve Qurtaba Chowk, Waris Road, Queens Road, Mozang, and neighbouring localities, where heavy rainfall often leads to severe waterlogging.
As part of this initiative, Wasa has secured approval to build a water storage tank on Waris Road, with a capacity to store up to 1.8 million gallons of rainwater. The agency has also acquired two kanal of land from the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on lease for this project.
According to Wasa Managing Director Ghafran Ahmed, the rainwater reservoir is expected to cost Rs600 million. The tendering process for the project will begin soon, with construction anticipated to start shortly after.
This initiative is expected to play a vital role in reducing the burden on the city’s drainage system during monsoon seasons, minimising the chances of urban flooding.
This project is part of Wasa’s broader strategy to modernise the city’s water infrastructure. Wasa is currently focused on enhancing the water supply and drainage systems across the province, as instructed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The authority is working on several ongoing development projects and upgrading the sewerage systems to cater to the growing needs of urban populations.
In a recent high-level meeting chaired by Wasa Punjab Director General Tayyab Farid, senior officials from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad discussed the agency’s future plans. The DG highlighted the need to adopt modern technology for safeguarding water resources and to ensure efficient public service delivery through a robust monitoring system.
Wasa also plans to expand its operations to the DG Khan, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha divisions to improve water management systems in these areas. This expansion aligns with the agency’s commitment to providing better facilities to citizens while addressing critical water drainage issues in underserved regions.
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