CPEC: Balochistan govt plans water projects for Gwadar
Gwadar Pro
Gwadar: Pakistani Balochistan provincial government plans to ensure clean water to the coastal town of Gwadar, the hub of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
An official statement said the government planned multiple projects with a budget of more than Pakistani Rs 130 billion for fresh water treatment, water supply and distribution in Gwadar.
These projects will cater future water demand and sewage disposal systems in Gwadar required for Deep Sea Port, its associated industry, and the city itself.
Moreover, multiple projects including, the implementing water supply, distribution system, desalination plant, and sewage collection system and treatment plant has also planned in the Master Plan of Gwadar as a mega port city, added the statement.
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved PC-I for establishment 5 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant for Gwadar to purify or desalinate contaminated water of the deep sea.
The lying of pipelines from Swad Dam to Gwadar is near completion. The Gwadar, Pasni and surrounding areas would also supply the clean drinking water through Shadi Kor, Akra Kor dams through pipelines. The government would install a network of water pipeline from Akara Dam to Jiwani to ensure uninterrupted supply of water to the residents of the area.
In April 2015, Pakistan and China firstly announced their intention to develop the multi-billion-dollar CPEC which in turn forms part of China’s One Belt, One Road.
Gwadar features heavily in CPEC, and is also envisaged to be the link between the One Belt, One Road and Maritime Silk Road project.
US $1.153 billion worth of infrastructure projects will be invested into the city as part of CPEC, with the aim of linking northern Pakistan and western China to the deep water seaport.
The city will also be the site of a floating liquefied natural gas facility that will be built as part of the larger $2.5 billion Gwadar-Nawabshah segment of the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project.
In addition to investments directly under the aegis of CPEC in Gwadar city, the China Overseas Port Holding Company in June 2016 began construction on the $2 billion Gwadar Special Economic Zone, which is being modeled on the lines of the Special Economic Zones of China.
