Recharge Borehole Subsidy in Punjab: 70% Aid for Farm Rainwater Boreholes in 10 Districts, How to Apply

Punjab's Agriculture Department pays up to 70 per cent of the cost of building a rainwater recharge borehole on farmland, in 10 districts from Lahore to Sialkot, under a Rs 0.80 billion pilot for 1,000 systems. You apply on a one-page form through the Water Management (OFWM) office of your district. Below is which districts qualify, what the form asks you to promise, and what the department has not yet said about cost.

A recharge borehole collects surplus rain or flood water from a field, cleans it through a small filter, and sends it down a bore into the ground, to lift the water table that tube wells draw on. We read the advertisement, the project poster and the application form on the Agriculture Department's project page and forms page on 31 October 2026.

Ten districts in central Punjab are in the borehole pilot

The scheme runs only in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Narowal, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Kasur. It is a pilot, called pilot testing in the advertisement, running across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.

Farmers outside these 10 districts cannot apply under this pilot, even if their water table is falling.

The government pays up to 70 per cent, and you pay the rest

The advertisement offers financial help of up to 70 per cent for building the recharge borehole. The rest, the "farmer's share", is fixed by the project, and the form makes you promise to deposit it. The department has not published the rupee cost of one system.

The project poster puts the whole programme at Rs 0.80 billion for 1,000 on-farm recharge systems. On our arithmetic that is about Rs 800,000 per system across the programme. That figure includes the government's spending on design and supervision, so it is not your bill. Ask the Water Management office for the estimate for your site before you sign.

• Government help: up to 70 per cent of construction cost.
• Your share: the rest, as fixed by the project for your design.
• Programme size: 1,000 systems over 2025-26 and 2026-27.
• Programme budget: Rs 0.80 billion.

Each system catches field water, filters it and sends it down a bore

The drawing in the advertisement shows four parts. Rainwater gathers in a catchment area in the field, flows into a settling chamber, passes through a filter bed of gravel and stones, and then runs through an outlet pipe into a lined borehole that lets it soak deep into the ground.

The aim, in the department's words, is to direct excess rainwater into aquifers, restore groundwater levels and improve water for irrigation. That makes the best sites low corners of a field where water stands after rain, close to a watercourse. The form asks exactly about this: whether rain or extra water is available, whether a khal or watercourse is there, and whether the proposed site is suitable.

Apply on the one-page form at the Water Management office

Download the "application form for installing a recharge borehole system" from agripunjab.gov.pk, or ask at the office of the Deputy Director or Assistant Director Agriculture (Water Management) in your district. Field staff check the site, then the Deputy Director approves or rejects it.

1. Get the recharge borehole form from agripunjab.gov.pk or the Water Management office.
2. Fill in your name, father's name, CNIC, mobile number, mouza, tehsil and district.
3. Write your total farm area and the area you propose for the recharge system, in acres.
4. Tick whether rain or extra water is available, whether a watercourse is there, and whether the site is suitable.
5. Sign the farmer's undertaking, then hand the form to the Water Management office.
6. A Water Management Supervisor or Assistant Director visits and writes remarks.
7. The Deputy Director Agriculture (OFWM) marks it approved or not approved, with stamp and date.

The undertaking makes you pay your share and maintain the system

By signing, you promise four things: to deposit the farmer's share fixed under the project, to let the department or its consultant inspect and monitor the site, to build only to the approved design, and to protect and maintain the system afterwards.

Maintenance matters more than it sounds. A filter clogged with silt stops working, and dirty water sent down a bore can harm the groundwater it is meant to help. Clean the settling chamber after heavy rain. If you are also looking at cheaper water for irrigation, Punjab's solar tube well subsidy is a separate scheme with its own rules.

Questions go to the agriculture helpline 0800-17000, open from 8 am to 8 pm daily. Farmers who also want help with machinery can check the Punjab farm machinery subsidies for 2026-27.

Common questions

Which districts get the recharge borehole subsidy?

Gujranwala, Gujrat, Narowal, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Kasur.

How much is the borehole recharge subsidy?

Up to 70 per cent of the cost of building the system. The farmer pays the rest, as fixed by the project.

How many recharge boreholes will be built?

1,000 systems across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years, under a programme of Rs 0.80 billion.

Is there a last date to apply?

The advertisement gives none. The pilot runs until the end of 2026-27 or until the 1,000 systems are allotted.

Who approves my application?

Field staff of Water Management (OFWM) check the site, then the Deputy Director Agriculture (OFWM) of the district approves or rejects it.

Who maintains the borehole after it is built?

You do. The form makes the farmer responsible for protecting and maintaining the system.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 31 October 2026. The districts, the 70 per cent help, the 1,000 systems and the two financial years are from the department's Urdu advertisement. The Rs 0.80 billion budget and the stated aims are from the English poster on the project page. The form fields, undertaking and approval route are from the recharge borehole application form. All were read on agripunjab.gov.pk on 31 October 2026. The per-system average is our own arithmetic. We could not find the cost of one system, the size of the farmer's share in rupees, or any closing date, because the department has not published them.