ISLAMABAD: PepsiCo Pakistan, in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), has positioned its flagship initiative Misal-e-Basti in Shujabad as a national model for water security and climate resilience. The project, launched with WWF Pakistan and formally evaluated by SDPI, is now serving over 15,000 residents with safe drinking water while restoring ecosystems and shaping climate policy.
The policy dialogue, Advancing Water Stewardship through Model Communities, brought together senior government officials, diplomats, private sector leaders, academics, and development experts to discuss how community-led solutions can be scaled across Pakistan. Participants stressed the urgent need to shift from top-down strategies to integrated, grassroots driven approaches.
Once facing severe water shortages where 70% of families lacked safe water and nearly all suffered waterborne diseases Chak RS in Shujabad has been transformed. With solar-powered filtration plants, rainwater harvesting, floating wetlands, ablution water reuse, and hygiene campaigns, the community now enjoys safe water, reduced illnesses by 45%, replenishment of 20 million litres annually, and prevention of 80,000 kilograms of carbon emissions. Families also save on healthcare costs, while women and children gain more time for education and livelihoods.
At the roundtable, Minister of State for Climate Change Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal praised the initiative, calling it “a living example of how collaboration between government, private sector, and communities can drive sustainable development.” PepsiCo Pakistan’s Zakiuddin Khalid highlighted the rare link between grassroots innovation and policy influence, while SDPI’s Dr. Abid Suleri underscored the project’s replicability nationwide.
By connecting local action with national policy dialogue, Misal-e-Basti is being seen as more than a village project it is becoming a blueprint for Pakistan’s water stewardship and climate adaptation efforts, with calls for its expansion to other water stressed regions.
