The Punjab government is planning to install more than 150,000 smart water meters in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad by 2029 to improve water management and help control the declining groundwater levels.
The plan was discussed in a meeting chaired by Punjab Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal. Officials reviewed different types of water meters and gave an update on groundwater recharge projects being carried out across the province.
According to officials from the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Punjab needs a total of 1,509,288 water meters. Around 150,900 of these are planned to be installed in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi by 2029.
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Mengal instructed the relevant authorities to speed up water metering projects in the three major cities as well as other districts.
He said the smart metering system would record meter readings automatically, reducing the need for staff to visit homes for readings. The technology is also expected to make the billing and reading process more transparent.
Officials also briefed the meeting about groundwater recharge projects across Punjab. Work is currently underway on 70 recharge wells, while 20 wells have already become fully operational.
In addition, 40 recharge wells are being developed in Lahore, 25 in Multan and five in Faisalabad. The projects aim to conserve around 11.4 million gallons of water every year.
The Housing Secretary directed officials to expand groundwater recharge projects and include water metering and rainwater harvesting as part of the province’s broader water management strategy.
The meeting also looked at water conservation practices followed in other countries. WASA officials said affordable water meters would be sourced from countries in the region.