Faisalabad Water Projects to Serve 1.3 Million Residents as Women's Cricket Team Defends Punjab Title

Punjab Housing Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal inspected two major water infrastructure projects in Faisalabad that together will supply 63 million gallons of clean water per day to more than 1.3 million city residents once construction is complete. The projects, developed with Danish and French cooperation respectively, form part of a broader government-led push to improve water supply across the city under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's directives. In a separate highlight for the city, Faisalabad Division's women's cricket team won the girls' championship at the Third Higher Education Punjab Games for the second consecutive year, defeating DG Khan in the final.

🗳️ 63MGD Water Infrastructure Boost to Serve Over a Million Faisalabad Residents

Punjab Housing Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal travelled to Faisalabad to personally inspect two major water supply and wastewater treatment projects currently under construction in the city. The first facility is the Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant, being built through Danish cooperation and designed to treat 33 million gallons of water per day once operational. The second is the Surface Water Treatment Plant Phase-II, developed with French cooperation and rated at a capacity of 30 million gallons per day. Together, the two projects carry a combined operational capacity of 63 million gallons per day, and officials confirmed they are expected to directly benefit more than 1.3 million residents of Faisalabad. During the visit, Chinese experts working on both projects briefed Secretary Mengal on construction progress and the technical components of each facility. WASA Faisalabad Managing Director Saqib Haral accompanied the secretary throughout and provided a detailed briefing on ongoing development activities across the city. Mengal directed the relevant authorities to complete both projects within their stipulated deadlines while maintaining strict adherence to quality standards. He stated that ensuring clean drinking water for Faisalabad residents ranks among the Punjab government's highest priorities and that all environment-friendly water supply projects are being pursued in line with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's directions. Separately, a 25-million-gallon-per-day surface water treatment plant is also under construction in the city as part of the broader programme, and expansion of the Jhal Water Treatment Plant will add further capacity. The efforts sit within a wider urban regeneration initiative that also includes plans to revive the colonial-era eight bazaars surrounding Faisalabad's historic Clock Tower, a landmark of the city widely known as the Manchester of Pakistan. [2]

🎉 Faisalabad Women's Cricket Team Claims Punjab University Championship for Second Year Running

Faisalabad Division's women's cricket team claimed the girls' cricket championship at the Third Higher Education Punjab Games, known as the ADP/BS Games 2026-27, retaining the title for the second consecutive year. The final was once again contested between Faisalabad and DG Khan, exactly repeating the previous year's showdown, and Faisalabad's players defeated their rivals in what was described as a tough and closely fought competition. The championship brought together women's cricket teams from six divisions of Punjab — Rawalpindi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Sargodha and Faisalabad — who competed across the divisional stage before the two top sides met in the final. All championship matches were held at the cricket ground of Government Graduate Waqar-un-Nisa College in Rawalpindi. Focal Person for Sports Professor Asifa Naheed issued a press release confirming the outcome and the participation of all six divisional sides throughout the tournament. The ADP/BS Games is an inter-divisional competition organised under Higher Education Punjab to create structured competitive opportunities for women athletes enrolled at colleges and universities across the province. Faisalabad Division's back-to-back victories mark it as the leading force in women's university-level cricket across Punjab, and the consistent final appearances against DG Khan indicate a well-developed rivalry at the top of the competition. The results reflect the depth of talent being built and sustained within Faisalabad's educational institutions on the women's side of the game. [4]

Sources: [2] The Express Tribune · [4] The News Pakistan