Gwadar’s water nightmare, shortage and contamination, is going to be over next year as about 168,000 residents of the port city are all set to be recipients of sufficient supply of clean drinking water after the materialization of many water management projects including water-pipe distribution system from three dams, replacement of water supply lines with rusty and broken lines linked to each and every households and desalinization Plants being spearheaded by Balochistan government and Gwadar Development Authority in 2022. In a critical predicament, like always China has also come forward to play its role in mitigating water woes by providing around Rs. 2 billion for a desalinization plant in the supervision of Gwadar Port Authority (GPA).
“It is no more a dream but a reality as Ankara Dam, Swad Dam, Shadi Kaur Dam, water reservoirs in proximity of Gwadar, have been interconnected with one another in order to keep supply of potable water to Gwadar City,” said Deputy Director Town Planning Gwadar Abdul Razzaq in an interview with Gwadar Pro.
Shedding light on details, he said that around 67-km-long water transmission pipeline from Swad Dam with capacity to supply 5 Million Gallon Per Day (MGD) clear drinking water to Gwadar has been laid down at the cost of Rs. 3.8 billion.
Around 90 percent of work at Shadi Kaur Dam, he said, with capacity of 2.5 MGD safe drinking water to Chaud Daggar costing Rs. 3.5 billion has been completed. The rest of the work is likely to be finished next year, he added.
Ankara Dam, old built many years back, he revealed, with capacity of 2.70 MGD has been interconnected with both two dams that will ensure uninterrupted supply to Gwadar locals especially residing in old city.
In terms of polluted water due to mixing of sewerage water into rupture drinking water supply lines connected to homes, he said that the entirely old existing rusty and fractured water supply line network is going to be replaced with modern highly-insulated state of art water supply lines. This project costing Rs. 3.5 billion will be completed next year, he assured.
China Oversees Port Holding Company (COPHC) Chairman Zhang BaoZong said that on emergency basis understanding the gravity of water woes of the locals of Gwadar, China has provided around Rs. 2 billion as a special grant to government for initiating 1.2 MGD desalination plant. Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) will complete the project as soon as possible, he added.
GDA official said that government approved 1.2 MGD water desalination plant for Gwadar with the help of the Chinese grant to provide fresh potable water for the people of the Gwadar city.
Now along the PC-1 for construction of 1.2 MGD Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, he said, with allied infrastructure has been approved by the CDWP.
Meanwhile under CPEC, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved PC-I for establishment 5 MGD RO plant at the cost of Rs. 5 billion for Gwadar to purify or desalinate contaminated water of the deep sea.
Currently, Gwadar is receiving only 2 MGD water supply through old dam and chain of mobile water tankers. At present Gwadar water demand has exceeded to more than 5 MGD. It is fortunate all new water management system to be functional next year will have water in surplus as it is being designed keeping in view the future demand of water in Gwadar.
GPA Chairman Naseer Ahmed Kashani said that provision of clean water to people of Gwadar is the prime focus of PM Imran Khan saying 1.2 MGD and 5 MGD water salinization plants were the part of PM South Balochistan Package.
