RUDA & WaterAid Pioneer Nature Based Solutions in Pakistan

Lahore: In order to combat the looming threats of climate change and urban water scarcity of Lahore, the key officials from the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) have immersed themselves in a specialized training session focused on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS). The initiative, led by the international NGO WaterAid, aims to embed ecological thinking into the blueprint of Pakistan’s burgeoning urban landscapes.

Mr. Ahad Yousaf Khan, Director of Climate Change & Carbon Credits at RUDA, led the authority’s climate change team in the intensive capacity-building workshop. The session, held this week, was dedicated to unraveling the newly developed NbS Technical Guidelines for Water Resources Management – a framework designed to pivot traditional engineering approaches toward greener, more sustainable infrastructure.

Moving Beyond Concrete

The training marks a strategic shift for RUDA, which is overseeing one of Pakistan’s most ambitious urban development projects on riverfront of Ravi River. As cities across the country grapple with depleting groundwater tables especially the Punjab, and the devastating impacts of flooding and drought, the integration of NbS practices are viewed a developmental necessity.

“The scale of the climate crisis demands that we rethink how we interact with our natural environment,” said Khan during the session. “RUDA, which is building the cities of tomorrow, adopting Nature-Based Solutions and ensuring the long-term habitability and resilience of the communities we are creating. This partnership with WaterAid equips us with the technical ammunition to ensure water security is baked into our master planning.”

A Blueprint for a Resilient Pakistan

The training focused heavily on strengthening institutional capacity to move beyond pilot projects and integrate NbS into core water resource planning and service delivery. With Pakistan ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, such initiatives are critical for national adaptation priorities.

By adopting these technical guidelines, RUDA is positioning itself at the forefront of a paradigm shift in Pakistani urban planning. The focus is now on creating “sponge cities” that can absorb, clean, and utilize water naturally, rather than simply channeling it away as waste.

“This initiative directly supports Pakistan’s national climate adaptation priorities by fostering urban resilience through sustainable water management,” a WaterAid spokesperson noted. ”

As climate shocks become more frequent, the integration of these nature-based guidelines into the authority’s regulatory and planning framework will be closely watched by environmentalists and urban planners alike.