Aquifer wells tackle water shortages in Pakistan

Issue: Summer 2024

In Pakistan, there is both too much and too little water. Over the past few years, the country has experienced increasingly frequent and severe floods, with devastating impacts on public health, agriculture, homes, and infrastructure. Flooding has also contaminated local water supplies, straining already overstretched resources. Now, enhanced aquifer recharge* wells in the city of Lahore are helping to strike a balance by capturing, filtering, and redirecting rainwater.

AQUIFER ASSISTANCE

As pressure on water infrastructure intensifies from extreme weather events, enhanced aquifer recharge wells provide support by

SLOWING runoff and mitigating flooding in communities and agricultural lands

DECREASING the risk of erosion and landslides

REPLENISHING groundwater levels and storing freshwater for future use, providing protection against droughts

IMPROVING the flow of rivers and springs during the dry season

20%

Percentage of Pakistan’s population with access to clean drinking water due to contamination from the improper disposal of toxic chemicals, untreated wastewater, salinity from excess irrigation, and agricultural runoff.

How it works

CAPTURE AND FILTER
Precipitation falls and enters the ground as runoff, where it makes its way into a constructed filter box containing layers of pebbles, silica, and crushed stones. Those layers help remove between 25% and 35% of contaminants in the water, which then passes through a system that monitors its quantity and quality.
REDIRECT
The rainwater moves into a perforated pipe that allows the water to seep into the subsoil.
REFILL
The rainwater enters and replenishes the aquifer.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

Groundwater supplies almost three-quarters of Pakistan’s domestic water and over half of its agricultural water. But with rapid population growth, urbanization, overextraction, and climate change, those critical resources are depleting rapidly: Per capita freshwater availability has dropped nearly 80% since the 1950s, while water demand rises about 10% every year, threatening the nation’s water security.

WATER FOR ALL

To address dwindling water availability, companies such as PepsiCo, Nike, and The Coca-Cola system and The Coca-Cola Foundation have partnered with WWF to support the construction of recharge wells in Lahore and beyond, helping to improve freshwater quality and accessibility for industry, communities, and wildlife.

*RECHARGE occurs naturally when water from rain, rivers, irrigation, or other sources seeps into the earth and refills aquifers. It can also be achieved artificially by redirecting or injecting water into the ground.

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