Monsoon wastage hastens groundwater decline

Water experts have warned that billions of gallons of rainwater are lost annually through drains and rivers while groundwater reserves continue to decline at an alarming rate across Punjab.

The experts said urgent measures were needed to harvest rainwater and recharge underground aquifers to avert a severe water crisis for future generations.

Punjab University water resources expert Dr Muhammad Yasin said Lahore's groundwater table was falling by an average of one to one-and-a-half metres every year.

He attributed the decline to rapid urban expansion, increasing water demand, excessive groundwater extraction through tube wells, shrinking river and canal flows, and the growing spread of concrete surfaces that prevent rainwater from naturally seeping into the ground. He said rainwater could be effectively returned to underground aquifers through recharge wells, pits, bioswales and filtration systems.

Besides restoring groundwater reserves, these measures could also help reduce urban flooding during the monsoon season, he added.

Dr Yasin said the Punjab University, in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan, had installed a rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge system that collected runoff from rooftops and open spaces. The water passes through a filtration medium before being injected underground, allowing naturally filtered water to replenish aquifers.

He warned that Lahore's natural groundwater recharge capacity is declining rapidly as the city continues to expand with concrete infrastructure, causing rainwater to flow directly into the drainage system instead of infiltrating the soil.

Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) Environment Director Abid Latif Sandhu said explained that continuous extraction first depletes the shallow aquifer, forcing reliance on the deep reserves, which contain ancient fossil water that has remained preserved underground for thousands, and in some cases millions, of years. Once depleted, these reserves cannot be replenished within a human timescale.

He said untreated industrial effluents, municipal sewage, agricultural chemicals and hazardous substances, including mercury and cadmium, are contaminating groundwater. Clean water is being extracted while polluted water is gradually replacing it underground, posing a threat to the availability of safe drinking water in the future.

The official proposed making rainwater harvesting wells mandatory in all new residential development schemes. He also called for the construction of community recharge wells in every locality to ensure that rainwater returned to underground reservoirs instead of being wasted. He stressed that strict regulations should be introduced to limit extraction from deep aquifers.

He urged the government to formulate a comprehensive policy covering the entire water cycle from glaciers to household taps, with defined allocations for agriculture, industry and domestic consumption, along with effective enforcement mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has launched several groundwater recharge initiatives. According to the agency, three modern groundwater recharge wells are currently operational at Liberty Roundabout, Maratib Ali Road and a park in Gulberg. Each facility is capable of filtering and injecting approximately 8,000 gallons of rainwater into underground aquifers every day.

In the first phase of the project, the Punjab government plans to construct 15 additional groundwater recharge wells in Lahore, while a long-term programme aims to establish 1,000 wells across the city.