Gwadar and its port project is getting unprecedented publicity in the Pakistani media and the rulers got an issue to divert the attention of the broad masses from the economic turndown and pressing economic problems of the people.

The interests of the Federal Government can be judged from the fact that one of its autonomous institutions built the Akra Kaur Dam and it proved to be failure merely because of the structural fault and corruption under the nose of the rulers long ago.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan has said the provincial government has taken major steps for providing drinking water to people in the province.

Kamal said this while inaugurating a new desalination plant in Gwadar on Sunday. He termed the plant a gift to the residents of the port city.

The desalination plant was constructed under the supervision of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in Sarbandar village of Gwadar. The plant would provide 200,000 gallons of water daily. To this date no corrective measures were taken to rehabilitate the water reservoir for feeding the people of Gwadar and its surroundings.

Earlier, the Balochistan Government had established two desalination plants, one by the Balochistan Development Authority and the second by the Provincial Industries Department during the days of late Jam Yusuf.

The Government is reluctant to take action against the corrupt politicians who are considered ‘good’ in their conduct thus they got the freedom to loot and plunder. That is why they are spared from investigations for usurping billions of public money by establishing two desalination plants in Gwadar.

However, the desalination plants failed to produce a single drop of water during the last 10 years. It is unfortunate that billions of Balochistan were usurped by corrupt elements in the name of desalination plants.

It is a welcome move on the part of the Chief Minister establishing yet another desalination plant in Gwadar to augment water supply.

It will definitely supplement the existing supply of water to the residents.  Mekran is known to have more than 370 small and medium size seasonal rivers. Rather one of them is perennial in the region. There are four major seasonal rivers in the vicinity of the Gwadar.

Thus Gwadar will have bright prospects if the water resources are developed all over Mekran region.  The seasonal river will be a perfect guarantee to ensure water supply to the local residents besides the Gwadar Port, its industrial and commercial complex.

Thus much of the attention should be diverted to development of water resources by building small and medium size dams and storing rain water preserving more than 20 million feet of water falling to the Mekran Coast.

The proposed plan to build another desalination plant may cater the need of the Gwadar Population or its surrounding, but it will definite could not meet the future needs of water for Gwadar Port and its industrial and commercial zone.

The Government had already wasted more than a decade in developing Gwadar and failed to add any additional facilities when Chinese completed the construction of first phase of the mega port in the region.

Energy resources are available at the door of Gwadar from Iran and Pakistan Government can get any amount of electricity from Iran and gas from Gabd border.

The Minister had not learnt lesson from the past two desalination plants and wastage of several billions of the public exchequer.

In case there is a further explosion of population as a result of a boost in economic activities, then the Government should opt for desalination plants. It should be kept in mind that first the available water resources should be utilized.