Groundwater Replenishment Initiative launched: WWF-Pakistan organizes field visit for stakeholders

LAHORE: WWF-Pakistan has launched Groundwater Replenishment Initiative which includes Rainwater Harvesting System (RHS), groundwater recharge after natural treatment through Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) and recycling of water for horticulture purposes.

The initiative demonstrates the need for water conservation in urban and peri-urban centres of Lahore and other metropolitan cities that are losing groundwater due to rapid urbanization.

On Friday, WWF-Pakistan organized a field visit with key project stakeholders to the pilot sites of Manak village, located near Sundar Industrial Estate, Lahore; under its Groundwater Replenishment Initiative funded by PepsiCo.

Key stakeholders who participated in this visit included officials from PepsiCo, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and members of scientific research communities.

The highlight of the visit included a tour of the village ponds, where Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) have been installed with the capability of treating 1.4 million litres of water per annum. Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) are nature-based solutions (NBS) aimed to provide low-cost wastewater treatment options for communities.

During an interactive session with the village community, Arshad Khan, caretaker of a dairy farm said that during power outages he benefits from the Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RHS) installed at one of his sites under this initiative, which has also helped him reduce his energy cost.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020