A consultative workshop on Water Distribution Network Design was held on 3rd February 2026 at the National Institute of Urban Infrastructure Planning (NIUIP), UET Peshawar. The workshop brought together sector professionals, engineers, and planners to critically review existing practices in the planning and design of water supply systems across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The discussions focused on key technical aspects, including demand assessment, storage requirements, pumping strategies, metering approaches, and hydraulic design principles. Particular attention was given to prevailing assumptions related to population growth, non-revenue water, and service delivery standards, which significantly influence system design and long-term sustainability.
While the workshop did not lead to a consensus on unified design criteria, it highlighted considerable variations in current practices across institutions. These discussions underscored the need for a more comprehensive, evidence-based, and standardized approach to infrastructure planning.
Participants emphasized the importance of undertaking a detailed review of existing methodologies and collectively developing a formalized set of design guidelines. It was strongly recommended that a provincial-level design criteria document be developed—not only for water supply systems but also for sanitation and stormwater infrastructure—to ensure consistency, efficiency, and resilience in WASH infrastructure planning and implementation across the province.
