Residents of Irrigation Colony in Lahore are enduring a severe drainage crisis that has led to widespread flooding of homes and significant distress among families. Local news coverage highlights deteriorating infrastructure and lack of timely municipal response, exacerbating living conditions during monsoon season.

Contractors staged demonstrations outside the Chief Engineer’s office of the Punjab Irrigation Department, demanding overdue payments for work carried out under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Payments have been blocked for two years, severely impacting project continuity and contractor livelihoods.

The Punjab government’s 2026–27 budget includes a major allocation of Rs 30 billion for irrigation sector modernization, alongside Rs 24 billion for ongoing projects. A key component is the Rs 102 million concrete-lining contract for Rode Minor (RD 0+000–20+000), aimed at improving water conveyance efficiency.

The Punjab Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has launched a Rs 5 billion water meter installation drive across 41 cities, including Lahore. The initiative aims to bill consumers based on actual usage, reduce water theft, upgrade drainage and sewerage systems in 34 cities, and install recharge wells to counteract critically low groundwater levels—now below 700 feet in Lahore.

Dr. Naeem Rauf, Chairman of Punjab’s Planning & Development Board, chaired a high-level briefing on the Punjab Water Resources Management (PWRM) project under Project Readiness Financing. Emphasis was placed on strengthening irrigation and drainage infrastructure to mitigate future flood impacts following recent devastation across Punjab’s agricultural heartland.