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By Samina Chaudhary
Islamabad, August 2 (app): In a long -awaited and future -oriented step, the Bundeskabinett Pakistan approved the green building code Pakistan and marks a turning point on the journey of the climate silence of the country's climate. Due to the regulations of the rainwater harvest in all new buildings, this groundbreaking policy increases a once overlooked survival strategy into a national instrument for environmental responsibility. From the dried deserts from Thar and Cholistan to the tense water systems of the expanding cities, this courageous step signals a commitment to secure the future of Pakistan against the twin threats of climate change and water shortages.
With 12 million hectares, almost 40%, from Pakistanically cultivable land that is based exclusively on precipitation, rainwater use in the past was a lifeline for rural communities. Now that it becomes a prescribed component in the living, commercial and industrial infrastructure, this old technology is resumed with a new relevance and traditional wisdom combines with state-of-the-art politics.
Experts welcomed this national mandate as a lengthy shift towards sustainable water management. Dr. Bashir Ahmed, director of the Climate Energy & Water Research Institute (CEWRI), calls for a return to local knowledge, which is now reinforced by the national guideline: “Rainwater harvest is not new. What is new is our urgency. The green building code gives these systems legal teeth – now it is time for the mass adoption.”
The newly approved rainwater use regulations for the construction code of Pakistan, which is now part of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) -laws, make it compulsory for all new buildings, to include systems that collect, filter and reuse rainwater. This applies to private, commercial and industrial sectors – signal a significant pivot point in the Pakistani approach to water protection.
This code emphasizes rainwater harvest systems on the roof, green roofs and solar integration, environmentally friendly building materials and building information modeling (BIM) for efficient energy and water consumption. These measures aim to reduce the dependence on overloaded municipal water supply, to charge enclosed groundwater tables and to promote the air -conditioned infrastructure.
The potential of rainwater use has long been apparent in the dry areas in Pakistan. In the Cholistanian desert there are 0.1 million people and 2 million cattle, a network of 110 rainwater reservoirs 440 million gallons rain per year – estimated paragraph 6 billion avoided migration and water load costs. Similarly, in Thar and its population of 1.5 million and 6 million led the water shortage historically to seasonal shift, high child mortality and malnutrition.
But with scientific innovations such as Deep Tube Wells, Saline Agriculture and Grassland Development over 500 hectares, these communities are a slow but significant change in the direction of resilience. The national mandate for the implementation of rainwater use systems could now also bring the urban population groups such advantages, especially in water scarce cities such as Karachi, Quetta and Islamabad.
The Pakistani rainwater use strategy is based on two main techniques: the harvest on the roof, where rain is collected by roofs, filtered and stored in underground or overhead tanks. And surface drainage usage, usually used in rural or peri-city areas, that transmit rainwater from open rooms and streets in reservoirs or groundwater conductors for the groundwater loading and agricultural use.
Together, these techniques reduce the pressure on both the surface and groundwater resources and enable the reuse and maintenance of the water supply in both domestic and agricultural contexts.
With quick urbanization and groundwater raving, especially in cities such as Lahore and Rawalpindi, water harvest systems are not a luxury, but a necessity. Reflection patterns become more unpredictable. If you can also harvest small quantities, you can manage urban floods, heat island effects and drought stress. Rainwater systems are inexpensive, reduce municipal dependency and prevent soil erosion and rainwater outflows, which improves the city's biological diversity.
Innovative solutions such as at the University of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology developed solar water generators offer hope for even more water -pushed regions. These devices extract 2–3 liters of clean water per square meter per day from the humidity, which are fully operated on solar energy-ideal for remote or non-network personnel areas.
Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, environmentalist, adds:
“The urban groundwater decreases alarming. The harvest of rainwater is one of the few immediate tools that we have for charging. Projects in Islamabad have already shown encouraging results.”
Both experts emphasize that rainwater use systems must be well maintained, regulated and effective in the community.
The inclusion of rainwater use in the national building code marks a breakthrough of politics and converted a once rural coping strategy into a cornerstone of climate smart development. This is not just about saving water. It is about securing the livelihood, reversing desert formation and building cities that are smarter, greener and more resistant.
If Pakistan is exposed to climate stress and floods to drought-the harvest of education as a low-tech solution with a high impact. With the green building code it is clear: integrate rainwater systems into every building, strengthen communities with knowledge and invest in a future in which every drop counts.