In an effort to address the issue of urban flooding in future, the Punjab Local Government Minister revealed that the provincial government has embarked on an elaborate plan to develop modern rainwater storage tanks in 52 major cities.
These projects shall be initiated as Punjab Development Programme (PDP) and will be implemented on priority basis to safeguard residential and commercial centres against repetitive damages caused by floods.
A high-level meeting chaired by the minister saw top officials, including Punjab Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian and Board Secretary Rizwan Naseer finalizing the summary to be submitted to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Upon approval, construction will commence at once in selected urban centers.
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Minister Zeeshan Rafique notes that the PDP is an all-inclusive development program that in addition to rainwater tanks, provides staged upgrading of the sewerage infrastructure, drainage and street pavement in several districts. He emphasized that the overflowing rainwater will be directed into storage tanks in order to relieve the ground water level and help reduce the destructive potential of urban floods.
He also mentioned that the new infrastructure will be built to accommodate the urban development requirement over the next 25 years, and this will be resistant to business, industries, and communities in the long run. The project will be launched with the funds guaranteed by the Chief Minister and will be based on the winning model of the Lahore Development Programme, where urban areas will be safer and profitable investment and residence destinations.
The government is building rainwater storage tanks in Punjab to make cities flood resilient, investment friendly and tackle the environmental and economic issues.
