LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed all stakeholders to take emergency measures given cloudbursts and torrential rains across Punjab.
She instructed the PDMA, district administrations, Rescue 1122, police, and other relevant institutions to remain on high alert. Doctors and paramedical staff in hospitals and health centers have also been directed to stay vigilant to cope with any emergency.
The chief minister ordered the C&W Department to immediately repair and restore roads affected by the rains and further directed the administration and law enforcement agencies to remain on round-the-clock alert, particularly in Chakwal and adjoining areas. She emphasised ensuring the protection of lives and property in low-lying areas and imposed a ban on bathing in rivers and canals. She also directed police patrols in all vulnerable areas.
Maryam further directed the timely evacuation of populations in flood-affected areas and restoration of traffic flow by removing obstacles from main and link roads.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said during her visit to Japan’s largest wastewater treatment plant that “Japan’s modern technology and methods will be used for sewage and waste management in Punjab.” She inspected the treatment systems in Asahi, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Washimaku, and Yodogawa, where she was briefed on methods of garbage collection, wastewater treatment, and waste disposal.
Officials informed her that Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city by population, treats 1.5 million liters of wastewater daily. The Yokohama Waste Treatment Plant also generates energy from waste, which is used for local heating systems. They described the facility as a model institution for modern waste management.
Maryam was further apprised that waste in Yokohama is separated into reusable components through modern, automated systems. Despite being an industrial hub, the city maintains some of the highest environmental standards. She remarked that Yokohama’s environmental and urban development model would be replicated in Punjab.
“Yokohama and Punjab have agreed on city-to-city cooperation in various fields, including environmental protection and modern urban development,” said the chief minister during her visit to Japan’s commercial, economic, and cultural hub, Yokohama.
Her delegation received a detailed briefing on urban development at Yokohama Town Hall. She discussed raising the quality of road and building construction in Punjab to Japanese standards and explored cooperation between the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) and Yokohama.
Maryam also reviewed prospects for introducing a high-speed train between Lahore and Islamabad and upgrading Punjab’s railway infrastructure. She inspected Japanese chairlift and air cabin projects as well.
Officials informed her that Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama form Japan’s industrial zone and that in May 2025, the Asian Development Bank’s annual conference declared Yokohama the most developed city in Asia in terms of environmental improvement.
Maryam Nawaz, while addressing a gathering of overseas Pakistanis in Yokohama, promised that the issues of overseas Pakistanis would be resolved on a priority basis and that they would no longer have to wait for redress of their grievances. “After a long time, those living far from home are hearing good news from Pakistan. Seeing this gathering of overseas Pakistanis feels like I am addressing a large congregation in Lahore,” she remarked.
Maryam emphasised that remittances should translate into better education and improved living environments for families back home. She said rising remittances reflect public confidence in the government’s policies.
“In Japan, people walk the streets without fear. In Punjab, crimes such as murder were rampant, but now 70 percent of crime has been reduced due to the efforts of the CCD. In the last seven months, 70,000 people have received loans to build houses. One lakh houses will be built by December, and 500,000 within five years,” she said.
Maryam highlighted that the ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ housing programme was close to Nawaz Sharif’s heart. The CM said the ‘Suthra Punjab’ programme, employing 150,000 people with Rs25 billion worth of machinery, was one of the world’s largest cleanliness drives. “We want to link Suthra Punjab with Yokohama’s waste management system. Visitors now admit they have never seen Punjab so clean before,” she added.
She said that Punjab is establishing South Asia’s largest cancer hospital in Lahore. “People are surprised by the swift pace of work. In contrast, the previous government neither built a hospital nor a road in four years,” she said.
Comparing leadership styles, she said: “The former prime minister used to arrive at office at noon and leave by 3pm, whereas Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif works from 7am till midnight. In the past, the country was surrendered to the IMF, but today, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz are working day and night for the welfare of the people.”
She revealed that 20,000 kilometers of new roads had been completed in Punjab within a year, and no road would be allowed to fall into disrepair. “If I see a pile of garbage, I immediately order the authorities to clean it. Lahore now runs Asia’s best electric tram,” she said.
The chief minister announced that 1,100 new buses would be introduced to Punjab’s cities by December, charging only Rs20 in fare. She said that the government had launched one of the largest scholarship schemes in Pakistan’s history, covering the educational expenses of students whose parents cannot afford them.