358 subterranean water storage tanks have been approved by Punjab.

The first-ever significant project in Punjab, which will construct 358 subterranean water storage tanks throughout the province to improve rainwater drainage and replenish groundwater, has been approved by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The chief minister presided over a special video-link meeting when the decision was made to examine the Model Village Project, clean water projects, and the Punjab Development Program. Additionally, officials gave a visual overview of ongoing developments.

According to the plan, 324 roadside tanks will be created to collect water that has accumulated on streets, and 34 sizable subterranean tanks will be installed in metropolitan areas to enable timely rainwater drainage.

Alongside the tanks, recharge wells will aid in raising groundwater levels, and water treatment facilities will purify the stored water for use in agriculture. 328 wastewater treatment facilities will also be built throughout the province.

The meeting was informed that 33 million square feet of tuff tiles would be installed in streets and walkways, 14,679 streetlights would be built, 6,100 kilometres of streets would be paved, and 3,498 kilometres of sewerage lines would be laid.

526 contemporary machines and tractors will be used to enhance drainage and municipal services. Additionally, a plant has been established in Lahore to produce sewerage tubes with a 100-year lifespan, and manufacturing is anticipated to start shortly.

Projects under the Punjab Development Program have begun in Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Okara, Jhang, Multan, and Sialkot; projects in Jhelum, Hafizabad, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, and Rawalpindi will soon begin.

Drainage systems will be built in rural regions as part of the Punjab Rural Sanitation Improvement Programme. The Model Village Project would spend Rs59 billion on 485 villages, with construction already underway in 200 of those villages. Treatment plants will be set up, wastewater ponds will be cleaned, and treated irrigation water will be provided.

With specific emphasis to Gujrat and Sialkot, the chief minister instructed officials to prioritise paved streets in villages, ensuring that filtration units for safe drinking water operate properly, and finish drainage projects before the monsoon season.

According to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the amount of development work being done in Punjab today is unprecedented in the previous 70–80 years, and she projected that a contemporary, beautiful, and transformed Punjab would appear in five years.