Sweco wins major watertech project in Lahore, Pakistan

Sweco has been chosen to prepare a feasibility study prior to the construction of a wastewater treatment plant at Kattar Bund, Lahore in Pakistan. 11 million inhabitants make Lahore Pakistan’s second largest city. It suffers from a lack of piped sewerage system and associated wastewater treatment facilities; hence untreated wastewater is being discharged direct to the environment.

The Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF) is supporting the local water and sewerage company by preparing a feasibility study for the sewage collection and new wastewater treatment plant to service one of the six regions of the city.

As part of the study, Sweco will compare a range of industrial and domestic sewage collection and treatment options based on technical, environmental, socio-economic, institutional, and financial issues with the aim of selecting the best option based on the life-cycle costs for the project. Sweco will later undertake the engineering design of the option chosen by the local client with local stakeholder input.

“Lahore is a big city with a long cultural heritage but suffers from a lack of investment in sewerage and treatment of industrial and household pollution. We are proud to support Danida financing by introducing Danish technology for pollution control and at the same time applying the latest renewable energy processes for the benefit of Pakistani people and industry,” says John Charlton, consultant in Sweco Denmark’s International Department.

The cleantech challenge in Lahore

Lahore is a major industrial hub in the Punjab province, which is the economic powerhouse of the country. However, the local environment suffers enormous pressure from pollution from industries and households due to a lack of treatment facilities in the city. This is exacerbated by climate change concerns within a country that suffers droughts, making treated effluent a valuable commodity which will contribute to sustainable use of water resources.

“Sweco has extensive experience in wastewater collection and treatment from the South Asia region, including from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. We successfully undertook a similar project in the city of Faisalabad. Our staff are well-experienced in the region, having undertaken feasibility studies for cities up to 17 million people. The close co-operation resulting from having staff on an inter-disciplinary team from both our International Department as well as our Danish Water Department provides a broader range of wastewater treatment solutions, and brings Danish knowhow adapted to a local context,” says Thomas Fleurine Sørensen, Director Energy & International in Sweco Denmark.

Sweco has enjoyed working with Danida for over 40 years in the water sector, including in Pakistan.

“Most recently, Danida has moved from grant funded projects to subsidized loans, hence financial sustainability of projects has taken an even greater focus. Danida has also focused on opportunities for renewable energy which reflects their efforts in addressing sustainable development in a holistic way. We are very proud to support Danida’s sustainable development of the countries they are working in,” says Thomas Fleurine Sørensen.

25 years of experience in the region

Sweco is Denmark’s premier company undertaking water sector feasibility studies for large-scale cities in the South Asia. Sweco has worked in the wastewater sector in all the countries in the region, home to some of the biggest cities in the world. Sweco’s experience in Pakistan stretches over 25 years.