Pakistan’s ‘dutyfree rival of Dubai’ is parched for now

FISHING WAS GWADAR’S MAIN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. SOME LOCAL PEOPLE SAY THEY SO FAR SEE LITTLE BENEFIT IN THE GOVERNMENT’S GRAND PLANS

GWADAR:FOR over a decade, Pakistani officials have dreamed of transforming the small but strategically located fishing port of Gwadar into a duty-free port and free economic zone – Pakistan’s answer to Dubai.

The aim is for Gwadar to become a regional commercial, industrial and shipping hub, as part of the ambitious China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The corridor is designed to give China a shorter, more secure trading route, via Pakistan, to the Middle East and beyond, while also boosting Pakistan’s economy.

Right now, however, the dusty “next Dubai” on Pakistan’s coast resembles the original mainly in one respect – it doesn’t have much water. “It hasn’t rained here for the last three years,” explains a local journalist, Sajid Baloch.

Abdul Rahim, who works for the Gwadar Development Authority, under the provincial government of Balochistan, said climate change is playing a role in Gwadar’s thirst.

“I would say because of climate change the rains have stopped – it used to rain much more often and in every season. Now Gwadar is facing severe water issues. There is no fresh water here,” Rahim said. Nearby Akra Kaur reser- voir dried up two years ago, and water must now be brought from a more distant source, he said. Some of the water coming in is contaminated, leading to an increase in waterborne illnesses such as hepatitis, he added.

Tapping groundwater isn’t a solution. “There is no point in digging wells as the underground water is all brackish,” Rahim said. Right now, the Gwadar peninsula – a hammerhead-shaped projection of land into the Arabian Sea – is home to about 100,000 people, following completion of the first phase of the port development. But as development continues, the population is expected to grow to 500,000 by 2020.

Right now, the Gwadar peninsula is home to about 100,000 people, following completion of the first phase of the port development. But as development continues, the area’s population is expected to grow to 500,000 by 2020, according to the port authority’s website.