Punjab mandates septic tanks for all housing societies

The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made septic tanks mandatory for all houses and plazas in housing societies across the province to protect underground water from sewage contamination, a major cause of waterborne diseases.

EPA Director General Imran Hameed Sheikh said housing societies must adopt a “dual water management” system. Every house will be required to have a three-chamber septic tank, while societies must install a wastewater treatment plant. Research shows that such septic tanks can remove up to 70% of solid waste and cut water pollution by 40%.

The EPA has also set size requirements for septic tanks: 6x4x4 feet for a 5-marla house, 9x6x4 feet for a 10-marla house, 10x6x5 feet for a one-kanal plaza, 15x6x5 feet for three- to four-kanal plazas, and 16x6x5 feet for units larger than four kanals.

DG Sheikh warned that no new housing scheme will receive environmental approval without meeting this condition. Notifications have been issued to LDA, FDA, GDA, RDA, and deputy commissioners, who have been instructed to enforce the regulation during land subdivision.

The EPA has also informed the Judicial Water and Environment Commission and directed its field officers to monitor implementation.

Lahore EPA Deputy Director Ali Ijaz said septic tanks, underground concrete or brick structures with two or three compartments, temporarily store sewage.

Solids sink to the bottom, grease and foam rise to the top, while clearer water flows into the next chamber. The three-chamber design makes the system more effective, significantly reducing pollutants before wastewater is treated or absorbed into the ground.

Ijaz emphasized that septic tanks are vital to prevent untreated sewage from contaminating groundwater and spreading diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. He called the measure a crucial step for environmental protection and public health.