Director General Gwadar Devolvement Authority Mujeeb ur Rehman Qandrani told APP that several projects had been completed in Gwadar related to education, health, water and electricity to facilitate the residents of the city. He said the authorities had laid down 152 kilometers long pipelines in the city to provide clean drinking water to the citizens through the Shadi Kor and Swad dams.
The water storage capacity of Shadi Kor dam was 35000 acre-feet and would supply 2.5 MGD safe drinking water, while the storage capacity of Swad dam was 46000 acre-feet , which would supply 5 MGD water to the residents of the old city, he added.
According to a source in the planning and development department of Balochistan, a desalination plant has been established with the assistance and funds of the Chinese government having the capacity to purify 1.2 million gallons of seawater per day to provide clean drinking water to the masses. The project has cost Rs 2 billion. Meanwhile, Pak-China Friendship Hospital was also being established over 68 acres of land which would be equipped with modern medical facilities, he said.
All major projects under CPEC in Gwadar, including Gwadar Power Plant, Distribution of 2000 Boat engines to fishermen of Gwadar, Khuzdar-Panjgur Transmission line (via Nag-Basima) connecting Markran with National Grid, New Gwadar International Airport Project, the China-Pak Friendship Hospital, China-Pak Technical and Vocational Institute in Gwadar, the Gwadar East-bay Expressway Project, Gwadar Free Zone, and Gwadar Port would become shining pearls in the region. He informed that the provincial government had declared Gwadar district a tax-free zone in a bid to attract investment. The district had been exempted from all provincial taxes including excise, services and transfer of property.
The government was making serious efforts to frame the master plan of the coastal belt as the province possessed a plethora of tourist attractions along the 750-kilometer-long coastal belt. Construction work on eco-tourism resorts, beach parks, floating jetties and rest areas was in full swing with allied facilities to cater the needs of local and foreign tourists visiting these beautiful coastal lines.
Moreover, the government has posted 215 lifeguards to facilitate the tourists and provide protection to them. Talking to APP, an official of the GDA said work on the renovation of old buildings and archaeological sites had started to preserve the ancient civilization and history of Gwadar. “Under the plan, dilapidated buildings will be restored for tourists to recall the history, culture and heritage of the port city”, he added. He said Gwadar had a lot of potential to generate tourism opportunities, and there was a dire need to have a constructive approach to exploring the hidden beauty of the city.
It is evident that Gwadar enjoys a great potential to catalyze regional connectivity, benefiting not only China and Pakistan but also adjacent nations such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asian states. The region’s untapped potential, brimming with natural resources will not only bring about positive change in the lives of the local population but open a gateway of prosperity for the whole country.