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LAHORE, Sep 01 (APP):The Punjab Irrigation department has set up 40 groundwater recharge sites across the province during the current monsoon season, marking a major expansion of efforts to replenish the rapidly declining water table.
The sites, built on Irrigation department rest houses and offices in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Chakwal, Jhelum, Kasur and other districts, were designed to capture and channel harvested rainwater into specially constructed recharge wells, said a press release issued here on Monday.
Irrigation Research Institute (IRI) Director Dr Ghulam Zakir Hassan Sial told Wealth Pakistan that this was a significant step towards restoring Punjab’s groundwater reserves.
“Through these recharge wells, we are ensuring that clean rainwater is not wasted but stored underground for sustainable use,” he added.
Under the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) model, rainwater collected from rooftops and lawns of government facilities was filtered and directed into the wells.
Dr Sial stressed that this water was free of municipal waste and industrial pollutants, making it safe for aquifers.
He explained that the system was cost-effective, environmentally safe and capable of addressing Punjab’s growing water challenges if expanded further.
The new sites built on the success of a pilot project in Vehari, where floodwater from Islam Headworks was diverted into 144 recharge wells along the Mailsi Canal bed. As a result, groundwater levels in the area rose by 3 to 5 feet, proving the model’s effectiveness.
The Mailsi Canal, abandoned over six decades ago after the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, was now serving a new purpose by helping recharge underground reserves.
Dr Sial said the pilot project was an eye-opener as it demonstrated that aquifer recharge can actually reverse groundwater depletion.
“This is not just about wells it’s about securing livelihoods, agriculture, and urban water supplies,” Dr. Sial remarked. By investing in aquifer recharge, we are investing in the future of Punjab, he added.
The irrigation department had also expressed readiness to collaborate with other government bodies and private institutions to spread the recharge model further.
Dr Sial said expanding these wells into both rural and urban areas would reduce stress on aquifers, improve agricultural sustainability, and secure drinking water supplies for growing urban populations.
According to WWF-Pakistan, natural groundwater recharge in Pakistan had been curtailed by rapid urbanization, paved surfaces and reduced river flows, while climate change had worsened irregular monsoon patterns. “Without large-scale recharge programmes, cities like Lahore could face groundwater exhaustion in the near future,” Sohail Ali Naqvi, Director of Water Resources at WWF-Pakistan, told Wealth Pakistan.
The WWF had installed 47 recharge well units in Lahore alone, mainly on university campuses and government institutions, with a combined annual recharge capacity of 260,000 cubic meters.
Naqvi said that Punjab government’s move to expand recharge sites was timely adding that with proper monitoring and community participation, it could be a game changer for water security.