Research finds Sahiwal coal plant disrupted livelihoods, water and mobility in host villages
LAHORE, August 13, 2026: The Citizens’ Collective for Just Energy Development (CCJED), a coalition of civil society organisations, along with legislators, political leaders, lawyers, journalists, environmentalists and energy experts, has urged the government and policymakers to immediately address the concerns of communities affected by the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant. They stressed that local communities and their perspectives must be included in the planning, implementation and post-implementation phases of development and energy projects. At the consultative dialogue on Wednesday, Pind Sudhaar Services (PSS), a CCJED member, presented a research report documenting the evidence of the impacts on the area and the locals. PSS representatives Alweera Waqas, Shafiq Butt and Rashid Chaudhry said the plant’s construction on private agricultural land had disrupted livelihoods, irrigation, drinking water supplies and local mobility, while its promised benefits remained limited. The PSS findings are based on a survey of 121 households, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and a review of official records. They show that the proportion of households relying primarily on agriculture fell from 35 percent to 16 percent after the plant started operations, and that only three percent of households depend on the plant as their main source of income. The research also highlighted the lack of availability of environmental monitoring reports and corporate social responsibility accounts. The Huaneng Sahiwal Welfare Trust was established to receive two percent of the plant operator’s annual net profit, but no record of its receipts or expenditure was publicly available until April 2026. Locals from the affected villages said their access to GT Road and other parts of the district had been restricted since the closure of a railway crossing for the plant’s security. They said the quality of drinking water had deteriorated. They also pointed out that the closure of an irrigation outlet for the plant’s operational requirements had deprived 275 acres of land of canal water. Mr. Rafe of the Alternative Law Collective (ALC), a CCJED partner, said the true cost imposed on communities by coal projects could not be calculated easily, because their effects on livelihoods, health and natural resources persisted over long periods and involved future generations as well. He called for transparency, recognition of community voices and integrated methods and approaches to evaluate the true impacts of mega projects and justice for the communities’ efforts to secure compensation and protection of their livelihoods, health and drinking water. Asad Buzdar and Zara, from the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development, another CCJED partner, said the communities’ demands were modest compared with the losses the locals had suffered. They stressed the need to generate and systematically document evidence concerning public health and other impacts. Abdullah Cheema from Lok Sujag, another CCJED member organisation, said the benefits of development were shared by a much wider population and, therefore, their cost should not be borne by host communities alone. PML-N MPA Somia Atta Shahani assured community representatives that she would raise their concerns in the Punjab Assembly. PPP Central Punjab Information Secretary Shehzad Saeed Cheema said the selection of Sahiwal as the site of a coal-fired power plant had not been an appropriate decision. He emphasised the need for strict enforcement of regulations to protect local natural resources, livelihoods and public health. Jamaat-i-Islami leader Khalid Ahmed Butt said sustained community mobilisation was necessary to ensure that local concerns were highlighted strongly. Durre Shehwar of the Punjab Climate Action Network (PCAN) also stressed the need for collective action. Advocate Abdullah Malik of the National Civil Society Network (NCSN) said the government should be more transparent in disclosing monitoring data on emissions, wastewater and other environmental parameters.
