ISLAMABAD - Finally recognising severity the of sea intrusion, a parliamentary committee was Thursday informed that the government has prepared a five-year plan to control the land erosion by the sea in the coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan.
The committee was also informed that Gwadar is ruled by tanker mafia and they are providing contaminated water to the residents of Gwadar.
“We have prepared PC-I for conducting study of coastal areas and will be completed with the cost of Rs 650 million in phases,” Additional Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology said while briefing Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms here on Thursday.
The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Col (R) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashahadi, showed serious concern over the non-implementation of the committee’s recommendations in the past one year. The committee was briefed by a senior official of Ministry of Science and Technology about the issue of sea erosion.
The additional secretary said that the government was vigilant and had allocated Rs 50 million to start work on the project. He said that a project with the cost of Rs 650 million has already been sent to the Planning Ministry for approval. The project will be implemented in phases which will include the study of coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan. The preliminary report will be submitted in six months and the required data will be compiled in two years, he added.
Senator Kareem Khawaja said, “We need to understand gravity of the issue in the provinces which are facing serious threats of sea intrusion and land erosion.” He said that according the reports of international organization if the current trend of sea intrusion continues, Badin and Thatta will be submerged by 2050 while Karachi will sink by 2070.
“I have been pushing the issue for the last many years, I requested the ministry to start work on the project as soon as possible because the sea erosion had affected the land in two provinces.”
Senator Mashahadi termed it a national issue and sought attention of the federal government to stop the sea from submerging coastal areas. “The Sindh government has started work on the sea intrusion which is encouraging,” he added.
The committee was also briefed on the issue of water shortage at Gwadar. For reliable supply of drinking water, the committee recommended the government to outsource the Gwadar city water supply project to any reputed international firm. The committee observed that annual cost of water supply to the city residents through tankers was around Rs one billion.
Chairman of the committee said, “The tanker mafia, operating in the Gwadar city, was looting people by charging exorbitant rates for the service. We cannot leave people of the city at mercy of the tankers mafia.”
A report of the Senate Sub-Committee was also presented to the standing committee by the convener of the sub-committee, Shahzaib Khan Durrani. He informed the committee that Akra dam, constructed to supply water to Gwadar, has got completely dried and no step was taken to improve the situation.
Senator Durrani said that they have visited the desalination plant at Karot. The design of the plant carried flaws and worked only for 47 days. Senator Mashahadi said that under a conspiracy the people of Gwadar are being kept deprived of clean drinking water.
The meeting was attended by Senators Mufti Abdul Sattar, Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Saud Majeed and Agha Shahzaib Khan Durrani, besides senior officials of the Ministries of Planning and Development, and Science & Technology.