Pakistan's sewers could last 100 years: Here's how Punjab is making it happen

A sewage pipe installed in a Pakistani city today typically lasts at most 25 years. Punjab is now building pipes designed to last 100. That shift, technical, unglamorous, and easy to overlook, may be one of the most consequential infrastructure changes the province has made in a generation.

For years, reinforced concrete pipes have been the default choice for sewerage systems across Punjab's cities. Corrosion eats through them within one or two decades, triggering costly emergency repairs, service disruptions, and in some cases, serious public safety risks. The cycle is as expensive as unpredictable but unfortunately accepted as inevitable.

From Global Lessons to Local Manufacturing

Under the Punjab Cities Inclusive Program, the World Bank Group worked with the Government of Punjab to find a better solution. Specialized consultants assessed technologies used across the world, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lining emerged as the answer. Applied as a protective barrier inside traditional concrete pipes, it prevents corrosion, keeps water flowing efficiently, and stops leaks, thus extending the life of each pipe to up to 100 years.

But identifying a technology is only the first step. Building confidence in it is another challenge entirely.

To close that gap, Punjab government officials and engineers visited the Singapore Water Centre - one of the world's most advanced sewerage systems - to see the technology in action. Witnessing it work at scale, in a high-performance real-world environment, turned abstract technical advice into something concrete and credible.

“Seeing how Singapore manages its sewerage systems gave us the confidence to move fast," said Zahid Aziz, PICP Project Director and former Managing Director of  the Water and Sanitation Agency, Lahore.

A Broader Lesson

What followed was a testament to what empowered governments can do. Rather than waiting for external suppliers, Punjab's government moved fast. It led the import of manufacturing equipment and technology from China and, within a remarkably short time, established the country's first local facility to produce HDPE-lined concrete pipes.

The result: Pakistan now manufactures locally what it once would have had to import, at scale.

The benefits go well beyond longer-lasting pipes:

Lower costs- Both from a capital and operational perspective. The asset lifetime is extended by four times, implying an approximate 75% reduction in replacement capital expenditure over the lifecycle. In addition, operational costs are reduced due to fewer repairs, lower infiltration and leakage, and a significant reduction in structural failures.

Market development- a new local manufacturing facility stimulating industrial activity, that shifted production from imports to domestic supply. This not only reduces procurement lead times and foreign exchange exposure but also creates a nascent industrial subsector in advanced sewerage materials, with potential for scaling across other provinces and applications, and have impact on job  creations.

Reduced public risk-  Sewer failure in Pakistani cities is associated with collapses, urban flooding, and wastewater leakage into surrounding environments. By significantly reducing pipe failure rates, HDPE lining improves system reliability, reduces service disruptions, and lowers public health risks associated with sewage exposure and groundwater contamination.

Punjab's experience points to something important about how infrastructure improvements actually happen. Technology alone is not the answer. Funding alone is not the answer. What made the difference here was a combination of targeted technical assistance that connected Punjab to global best practices, international collaboration that built confidence among decision-makers, and critically, a government that took ownership and drove implementation.

When those three elements come together, the results can be transformative. Punjab's cities now have infrastructure built to last not a generation, but a century. That is a standard worth aiming for.