## China-Funded Desalination Plant to Alleviate Gwadar’s Acute Water Shortage

Gwadar residents are facing severe drinking water shortages following the depletion of key reservoirs. In response, the newly operational China-funded 1.2 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) seawater desalination plant is poised to deliver 7 to 8 million gallons of potable water daily to the city’s populace.

Persistent low rainfall has left critical water reservoirs, including Ankara Dam, Swad Dam, and Shadi Kaur Dam, completely dry. Addressing this crisis, the Balochistan government formally approved the purchase of water from the desalination plant on July 8th.

A high-level meeting was instrumental in expediting this solution. Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Chairman Noor ul Haq Baloch, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department Secretary Imran Ghachki, Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) Director General Saif Ullah Khaitran, and PHE Xen Engineer Momon Baloch collaborated to devise strategies for mitigating the ongoing water emergency.

A government official confirmed the plant’s completion, stating, "The 1.2 MGD seawater desalination plant has been successfully completed.” The project was realized through a Rs 2 billion grant from China, executed collaboratively by the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), and China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC). Alongside the plant, an approximately 1-kilometer-long water supply line connecting the plant site to Gwadar city’s main water distribution network has also been constructed.

Initial plans involved a smaller 0.5 MGD desalination plant, following feasibility studies and surveys conducted by the governments of Pakistan and China. However, reassessing current water requirements led to the approval of the larger 1.2 MGD plant for Gwadar on July 5, 2021.

Complementing the desalination effort, the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) has finalized a 158-kilometer pipeline originating from the Shadi Kor and Swad dams. Furthermore, the GDA has installed a new 141-kilometer water distribution pipeline designed to provide drinking water access to every household within the city.

A GDA official recently indicated the imminent impact of these projects, stating, "Now each resident of Gwadar city will be a beneficiary of potable water supply.” He added that localities such as Faqir Colony and Dhoor, already integrated with the water supply lines, are scheduled to begin receiving potable water imminently during the current week.