There is no sustainability of human life without water. In the 21st century there are cities which are suffering from shortage of water. Pakistan has some cites which stand in that list and the worrisome issue is that Gwadar a part of that. Gwadar has its own significance for the country. The shortage of water in Gwadar indicates the negligence of the authorities at the helm of the affairs. This is also one of the leading factors contributing to the sense of deprivation among the people of the district.
Moreover, the critical issue is non-availability of clean water in Gwadar. People of Gwadar get water from water tanks and the water is usually stored in Water Works Town of Thana Ward area. These water tankers range in capacity between 4,000 and 12,000 gallons of water. These are mostly owned by private enterprises, which means that the government pays them for a service. Digging the history of Gwadar, the city was supplied water through two major sources the Akra Kaur Dam and the Mirani Dam. The more worrisome issue is the recent report of water sample which was taken from Mirani Dam. The report stated that “the provided sample of water is microbiologically not fit for human consumption, within the scope of analyzed parameters, according to the WHO guidelines”. Now the question raised in rational mindset is that how the center piece of China Pakistan Economic Corridor can sustain development without water. It is not just about the people of Gwadar but when a robust development will come towards Gwadar and the city will be lacking from basic human commodities then it will be an unsuitable situation on both ends.
At the very moment, only one desalination plant is working in Gwadar which is only providing clean water to the Chinese and Pakistani workers who are working on the port side. Apart from that other desalination plants in Gwadar are lying either idle or in disrepair.
This provincial government is now working to resolve this issue. Sub Committee of Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development said, “a comprehensive planning is needed for resolving water issue on a permanent basis”. The fund’s allocation report has been delivered to the high officials whereas according to research, mega desalination plants are required for clean water. Various desalination plants with a production capacity of 50 million gallons per day in Gwadar is required to meet the water requirement.
Contrarily, Pakistan Army is also putting up the efforts to generate clean water for Gwadar. Recently Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa laid the foundation stone of Gwadar desalination plant with the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates and the Swiss government. The project has a capacity of 8.8 million gallons daily and is expected to meet the long-standing demand for clean water by the people of Gwadar.
Every institute and state organ must work together to produce clean water in Gwadar so the city may get prosperous rather than get defamed.
