The European Union (EU) has delegated a €12 million grant to the French Development Agency (AFD) to provide technical assistance aimed at strengthening water and sanitation services in Faisalabad and Lahore. This grant will support the Faisalabad and Lahore Water and Sanitation Agencies (F&L WASAs) and the Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Department (HUD&PHED), complementing AFD’s infrastructure investments in the water and wastewater sectors.

The agreement was signed in Islamabad by H.E. Mr. Nicolas Galey, Ambassador of France to Pakistan, Mr. Vincent Thevenot, Country Director AFD Pakistan, and Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, in the presence of Dr. Sébastien Lorion, Acting Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan, and Mr. Marc-Antoine Leclercq, the newly appointed Country Director AFD Pakistan. It reflects the EU’s and AFD’s shared commitment to improving basic services and institutional capacities for the benefit of the people of Pakistan.

The technical assistance, including equipment funding, will support the adoption of modern tools and technologies—such as digitization and metering—and contribute to reducing water losses, improving service delivery, and strengthening governance and policy-making capacities in the sector. This initiative builds on AFD’s long-standing engagement in Pakistan. Since 2006, AFD has financed projects in clean energy, urban mobility through enhanced public transport, and urban water and wastewater services. A total of €1.34 billion has been committed by AFD between 2006 and 2024.

Key projects currently underway or under consideration include:

• A drinking water treatment plant in Faisalabad, treating surface water to deliver 30 million gallons per day (MGD) of potable water, benefitting around 500,000 residents in an area where groundwater is brackish.

• A proposed wastewater treatment plant in Lahore, expected to treat municipal wastewater, improve water quality in the River Ravi, and reduce negative health and environmental impacts downstream.

• Planned investments in Islamabad for the rehabilitation of an existing treatment plant and replacement of conduction mains, aiming to increase water supply by 12 MGD and improve overall service quality.

Together, these efforts illustrate the strong and sustained partnership between Pakistan, AFD, and the European Union to enhance sustainable urban infrastructure and improve the quality of life for local communities.

About Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

Agence Française de Développement/French Development Agency (AFD) implements France’s policy on international development and solidarity. Through its financing of NGOs and the public sector, as well as its research and publications, AFD supports and accelerates transitions towards a fairer, more resilient world. It also provides training in sustainable development (at AFD Campus) and other awareness-raising activities in France. With our partners, we are building shared solutions with and for the people of the Global South.

Our teams are at work on more than 3,250 projects in the field, in the French Overseas Departments and Territories, in 115 countries and in regions in crisis. We strive to protect global public goods – promoting a stable climate, biodiversity and peace, as well as gender equality, education and healthcare. In this way, we contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Towards a world in common.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)