Karachi, 28 April 2026: GSK and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched a five‑year freshwater resilience programme in Pakistan in 2025, delivering interventions across Karachi, Lahore, Keenjhar Lake and the Indus Delta to provide safe drinking water, water reuse systems, urban greening and community biodiversity monitoring. The partnership will develop collaborative, locally led solutions to improve freshwater sustainability for communities, habitats and biodiversity, and accelerate progress towards the UN 2030 Agenda.
This programme is part of GSK’s wider commitment to be water neutral by 2030 in our operations and with key suppliers in water‑stressed areas; through WWF we will work to balance the water we use with water restored to local environments and communities to safeguard the future of our operations and supply chain. Water is vital not only for the health of people and the planet, but also for the manufacture of the medicines and vaccines patients rely on, making these interventions both a social and business priority.
The programme engaged the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) under the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), mobilising both ministries to co‑lead Pakistan’s Freshwater Challenge initiative. A national mapping exercise of existing freshwater actions and initiatives across Pakistan was completed to inform target‑setting and ensure alignment with current programmes and policy frameworks. Following are the key outcomes of year 2025:
A solar‑powered drinking‑water filtration plant was installed at the welfare dispensary in Sharafi Goth, Landhi Town, Karachi, with the supply line extended to the adjacent Government Girls College. The plant now provides free safe drinking water to around 1,500 people (local community members, female students and dispensary visitors), delivering estimated annual savings of approximately PKR 2.7 million for the community.
Four ablution‑water reuse systems (AWRS) were installed; two at Baitul Mukarram Mosque (Gulshan) and Masjid‑e‑Aqsa (Gulberg) in Karachi, and two in Engineers Town, Lahore with a combined capacity of 18,660 m3 per year. Treated water now irrigates 21,678 m2 of urban green space.
Fifteen toilet blocks and a sewage drainage system were rehabilitated at the Government Girls and Boys Higher Secondary School in Bin Qasim Town, Karachi, directly benefitting 1,144 students from an underprivileged community.
Two urban green spaces were restored at Jamia Masjid Hanifia Alamgir Trust and Government College, Sharafi Goth, using dense, multi‑species native planting suited to Karachi’s arid climate. The 1,084 m2 of new green cover supports improved microclimates and healthier urban environments for about 1,500 local residents.
A groundwater recharge well was installed in Engineers Town, Lahore, with an annual recharge capacity of 5,500 m3; after two rainfall events the well has already returned 353 m3 to the aquifer.
A community Biodiversity Monitoring Group at Keenjhar Lake is now operational. The group, made up of local resource users conducts regular observations of key species and habitats, identifies potential threats and documents ecosystem changes.
Capacity‑building activities in 2025 included three awareness sessions at NED University of Engineering & Technology, Government Degree Girls College (Sharafi Goth) and Hanifa Alamgir Masjid, plus a community session at Keenjhar Lake attended by 32 university students who took part in an on‑site learning visit.
Erum Shakir Rahim, GM and Vice President, GSK Pakistan, said: “Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to water stress and the communities we work with live that reality every day. Our partnership with WWF marks a turning point: over the next five years we will scale locally led, practical solutions to deliver safe, reliable water, and drive the policy change needed to make communities resilient by 2030. The 2025 results show clear progress and strengthen our urgency and ambition to do more.”
Mr. Sohail Ali Naqvi, Director Freshwater Programme, WWF-Pakistan, stated: “Water risks are not isolated—they affect governments, industries, and communities alike, and cannot be addressed through standalone efforts. We need more inclusive, multi-stakeholder approaches to manage water sustainably across basins, with corporate partnerships playing a critical role in advancing effective water stewardship.”
