KARACHI:
The citizens of Gwadar have long been deprived of water because of which they have had to face many difficulties. The situation has further deteriorated due to low levels of rain. During the past few years, many regions of Balochistan have experienced little to no rainfall and, as a result, approximately 70% of the population has been affected by acute water shortage.
The Ankara Kaur dam was built in Gwadar in 1995 to facilitate a population of 35,000. Since its construction, it has dried up at least four times. The lack of maintenance has resulted in the loss of half of its capacity. In the last two years, three Chinese-funded dams have been built while two more are under construction as part of CPEC. Unfortunately, these dams are not connected to the city and are of no use to the people. Moreover, a UNDP study has revealed that shortage of water has had a detrimental impact on students who are unable to focus on studies, resulting in poor educational outcomes. Gwadar has been at the forefront of the water crisis as thousands of livelihoods are under threat in the city alone.
Currently, there are no operational desalination plants in the city. Water tankers from the Meerani dam have been used to meet the needs of the citizens of Gwadar. But this cannot be a permanent solution to water scarcity. Time and again the residents have protested against the water shortage and called upon government officials to resolve the crisis. But their calls have fallen on deaf ears. The government needs to adopt measures to tackle the water crisis at its earliest or else people will start to protest. The government and all concerned officials must not ruin the province.
Hammal Zahid
Tump
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2021.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
