Mengal for building more dams in Balochistan

BNP-M chief expresses concerns over the decreasing level of groundwater in the province

QUETTA: Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal on Thursday expressed his concerns over the deceasing level of groundwater in the province.

“In the next 20 to 25 years, the residents of the areas where groundwater level is declining might face a severe crisis,” he told a party delegation from Naal.

“The provincial government should take urgent measures to build more dams in the province to overcome the problem. The federal government must also pay attention to the issue.”

The BNP-M chief said in his capacity as an MNA, he had allocated a hefty amount out of the funds at his disposal for the construction of dams.

Mengal said his party would never compromise over the interests of the province and be forced to reconsider its options if the federal government did not implement its six-point agenda.

“The BNP-M is a national party and all its activists believe in the ideology of federation,” he said. “We will safeguard the rights of the Baloch people without any discrimination and political differences,” he added.

Mengal said BNP-M was committed to ensuring that each constituency of the province received its share of development whether his party had secured a seat there or not.

“Connecting Makran with the grid station and inclusion of development schemes for Kalat, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turbat and Quetta are initiatives towards collective development,” he added. Those present at the meeting included MPA from Wadh Mir Akbar Mengal, senior BNP-M leader Wahid Baloch, Shokat Siyahpaad, Karim Zehri and Mujahid Umrani.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2019.