Green Infrastructure and Climate Resilience in Punjab

In Sheikhupura, it is likely to be the standard set of responses: widening of roads, strengthening of embankments and enlargement of drains. There are other types of equipment that work well, but tend to be forgotten. Employing green infrastructure to assist in building structures that engineers would have built. Trees, parks, wetlands, and absorbent soils.

Problems

Floods: Sheikhupura is well-known for its struggles with flooding. Gujranwala (including Sheikhupura) had a total of 579mm of rainfall within the irrigation area during 2025. Whereas a normal year would only get 240mm of rainfall. Among the worst-hit areas were Ferozwala and Muridke. Some drains were overflowing due to the high precipitation and poor infrastructure around the drains, said the irrigation branch. The problem was caused by slow drainage because of antique sealed culverts, and the flood levels were almost up to the Lahore-Sialkot toll road, the deputy commissioner said. I believe the flood prevention plan is about flooding and overflow. In July 2025, there was so much rainfall during monsoon season that the roofs collapsed and there were deaths of children.
Air: In December 2024, Sheikhupura was declared the most polluted town in Pakistan with an AQI of 792. You can feel, this is the case by looking at people’s eyes and throats.

Heat: No data were available on urban heat islands. But Lahore is the nearest town to Sheikhupura. On average, Lahore was 5.5 degrees hotter than surrounding areas on 36 days during the summer of 2015, the study found. The temperature rose to 8.3 degrees. From reviewing the Satellite TV for pc, we can see that more advanced areas of land have poor vegetation. Sheikhupura is going through this right now, so the question naturally arises.

How can green infrastructure help?

Trees and plants provide shade and evapotranspiration. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Rainwatwer will help soak into the parks and open land to keep the area cool in the summer. It will also reduce the chances of flooding. But this should not substitute for engineering. That said, a park will not prevent the drains from overflowing during the monsoon (579mm), and trees will not solve the pollution. But it will take some pressure off the city.

Is anything being done?

Indeed! The government is encouraging people to plant Miyawaki forests. They are dense forests of native species. 100 kanals of trees and shrubs (112,500) will be planted in Lahore’s China Park. Punjab University too has followed suit by planting 10,000 Miyawaki trees on two acres of their new campus in May 2026. It was developed by Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist. There are plenty of species to choose from to form an area of woodland. This is great in urban areas where large parks may not be possible. Couldn’t find any published Miyawaki projects in Sheikhupura, but this is an excellent opportunity. We will learn a lot from running and monitoring a pilot project in Sheikhupura.

What should Sheikhupura do?

Produce a map of the green spaces. Consider where to locate parks, tree lines, and soil. Think of them like roads and sewers. Start with the places where the need is most acute. Start with the busiest, hottest places with poor drainage. Ferozwala and Muridke were the worst affected by the 12-month flood. Keep natural drainage channels free. Culverts must be kept clear. Plan your planting. Select native species and drought-tolerant ones. Save money for watering and maintenance. And planting trees is not enough to keep them alive! Track progress. Keep a count of how many trees have survived, what the temperature is in the area, and how much flooding there is. Share your results!

Who do you need to work with?

We need a lot of departments that are involved in green infrastructure. Some will plant, others work on drains. The development authority will grant the building permissions, and the nullahs will be taken care of by the Irrigation Department. If everyone is working in their own little silo, your new park is downstream of the clogged drain.

My internship and visits with EPA teams have shown me how many departments come together at a single site. We will map the hot zones, the flooded areas, and the green spaces, and that will ensure that they coordinate their efforts.

Conclusion

Climate resilience can be quite difficult to achieve. The way we manage our land, water and shade will help us adapt to our changing city. We’re beginning to get issues because there is an imbalance within our city. We are experiencing flooding on our roads, smoggy winters and warm summers. Devising a plan to safeguard and enhance the green areas while tracking whether it delivers, is a sound idea. As we have unpredictable weather (monsoons, heat waves, and smog), it depends on our decisions.