Gwadar, Mar 16 (INP): A project to establish a water supply network in the Gwadar North Free Zone is nearly 60 percent complete. This significant development aims to address the immediate needs of companies eager to commence operations within the current year. The project is divided into two parts. The first segment, being overseen by the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), extends from the dams to the outer boundary of the Gwadar North Free Zone.  The second segment, soon to be initiated by the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC), will run from the inner boundary wall of the Gwadar North Free Zone to the designated areas for factories. Following a competitive bidding process, GPA awarded the contract to Saleh Techno Company. This company is in the process of installing water pipelines from two primary sources: dam water, including from the Sawar and Shadi Kor dams, and a newly constructed, Chinese-funded 1.2 MGD desalination water plant.

A GPA official told Gwadar Pro that the cost of laying the water supply network from both dams to the boundary of the Gwadar North Free Zone is Rs 110 million, with an estimated completion date in the first week of May. Chairman of GPA, Passand Khan Buledi, has played a crucial role in securing approval for water and power projects within the government’s 2023-24 budget. In addition to the water supply project, GPA has also approved funding for electricity supply from the Deep Sea Port Grid Station to the North Free Zone.  The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has reallocated these funds to the Ministry of Energy for the development of the distribution network, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak China