Cabinet committee approves national green building, rainwater codes

Pakistan has taken a major step toward sustainability by approving national standards for buildings with four or more floors, with a focus on energy conservation and water preservation. 

The Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases (CCLC) approved the Green Building and Rainwater Harvesting Codes during a meeting chaired by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Sunday.

The codes were presented by the Secretary of Science and Technology and the Registrar of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), which was also the body responsible for drafting the new standards. 

The approved codes aim to set national benchmarks for multi-storey buildings in line with modern environmental and engineering principles.

Under the Green Building Codes, standards have been laid out to promote energy efficiency, water conservation, and protection of local biodiversity. Meanwhile, the Rainwater Harvesting Codes are designed for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, making it mandatory to install systems for collecting, filtering, and reusing rainwater.

These new regulations align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are intended to reduce dependence on municipal water supplies and offer practical solutions to Pakistan’s growing water crisis.

As part of the legal process, amendments to the Building Bylaws of 1986 and 1987 were also approved, and both codes have been included under Section 25(1) of the PEC Act, 1976.

The Green Building and Rainwater Harvesting Codes will now be forwarded to the Federal Cabinet for final approval. Once endorsed, these codes will be implemented nationwide, revolutionising construction practices across Pakistan by embedding sustainability into architectural law.

Reporter: Tayyab Saif