Bugti urges end to Gwadar water, power woes

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has called for urgent, sustainable, and practical measures to permanently resolve Gwadar's recurring water and electricity issues.

He emphasized that these challenges must not be allowed to persist, and that effective, long-term solutions are essential to alleviate the hardships faced by the people of Gwadar.

Speaking via video link from Quetta during a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal, CM Bugti underscored the need for coordinated action, said a news release issued by CM's Secretariat.

Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Owais Ahmad Leghari, along with senior federal officials and key provincial were in attendance.

During the briefing, CM Bugti identified electricity outages as the primary obstacle to water distribution in Gwadar. "Gwadar has sufficient water reserves to meet the population's needs for up to seven months," he explained. "But without consistent electricity, this water cannot be pumped from reservoirs to urban storage tanks or supply to the public."

He noted that the provincial government has been making regular payments to the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) for daily water supply from the desalination plant, including three months of advance payments. "The crisis is not due to a lack of water but it's due to persistent power failures. A continuous water supply is only possible if uninterrupted electricity is ensured," Bugti clarified.

CM Bugti warned that if rainfall does not occur within the next seven months, Gwadar could face an even more severe water crisis.

He stressed the urgency of implementing sustainable solutions for both water and electricity infrastructure to prevent future emergencies.