Pakistan: Water crisis in Gwadar region sparks shutdown as locals struggle for relief

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The port city of Gwadar in Pakistan is grappling with a severe drinking water shortage, prompting its citizens to declare a complete shutdown to draw attention to the dire situation, as reported by The Nation on Sunday.

The water crisis has brought to light the city's inability to cope with critical shortages, despite having access to adequate water resources in the region.

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For a whole week, the residents of Gwadar have been wrestling with this water crisis, and their pleas for assistance appeared to go unanswered. The "shutter-down" strike, organized by the Citizen Committee Gwadar, resulted in the closure of businesses, shops, and banks. This extreme measure was taken as a last resort by a community that felt parched and ignored.

The publication revealed that the situation unfolded within the city, even though the region possesses suitable water resources. The Gwadar water crisis stemmed from a dispute between the DG Gwadar Development Authority and Public Health Engineering officials, underscoring the urgency of effective governance and dispute resolution mechanisms.

The gravity of the situation is accentuated by the fact that this crisis occurred concurrently with a sit-in in Turbat, related to a power supply suspension issue in border areas. Successful negotiations in Turbat, which resulted in a power load-shedding schedule and a predetermined monthly bill, could potentially serve as a model for handling such crises more efficiently.