Amongst a myriad of other socio-political problems that plague Balochistan, the water crisis is one that demands immediate attention. Two days ago, the Balochistan Agriculture’s Water Management Department let go of an opportunity to sign a tender worth Rs200 million for construction of water-related projects due to the absence of the officer concerned. These would have included tube wells, a pond, a supply pipe, and drains. But the officer responsible failed to show up when the tender was to be signed. His failure to show up resulted in a protest by the contractors who had shown up from all over Balochistan to secure jobs.
Why was signing this tender important to alleviate Balochistan’s water crisis?
A sharp drop of about 2000 ft in the sea level is causing an extreme water shortage in the region. This has already affected vast tracts of agricultural land, rendering it unexploitable. Additionally, a drought means less drinking water for people, particularly in Quetta and Gwadar. While the city of Quetta, for instance, requires 50 million gallons of water daily, the Quetta Water and Sanitation Authority (QWASA) is able to supply only 30 million gallons a day. What’s worse is that projects underway are not entirely sustainable for water provision for future generations. QWASA, for instance, says that the Mangi Dam located in Ziarat is in progress and will help with water shortage for a short period of time only. The dire problem, therefore, is of water provision for a continued time period in an already neglected province. Moreover, some 20 small dams are incomplete and about 80 others face delayed development, which has just added to the water crisis. Other problems include illegal drilling activities to acquire water and dysfunctional wells in the region. All this could have been partially alleviated with the tender being signed on time. Partially only, because a host of other systemic discriminatory practices negatively impact the region.
So, what is the greater political problem that needs to be addressed in the Balochistan narrative?
The contractors yesterday were protesting the lawmakers’ and officials’ attitudes towards Balochistan. Corruption is another problem in water development projects. The protesters claimed that corruption worth Rs.260 million was committed when the government handed out contracts that were not based on merit. So, the problem here is one of favoritism, and quite possibly, nepotism as well. This is the cause of the delayed water-related projects in the region. Balochistan clearly isn’t just being discriminated against on a provincial level. But, the government within is also leeching off of the province’s resources, which is something that must be discussed more pervasively in the media as well. Furthermore, people need to change the way the province is talked about. Merely labeling the province as backward and unadvanced is to completely blindside the systemic discrimination against Balochistan. It is because of such officials who fail to show up for duty that the provincial developments suffer. Water shortage effects key small scale and large scale industries such as tourism, fisheries, and power generation. Not employing local deserving, skilled expertise to handle water crisis related projects also increases unemployed and frustrated youth. All this has created an otherworldly image of Balochistan. An image that does not fit the typical nationalistic, Punjabi elite narrative of the central government. It becomes easy to discriminate then if the masses do not associate with a marginalized provincial population. Let’s be clear:
It is not Balochistan that is backward. Nor will any foreign intervention help alleviate economic problems to an extent that is sustainable. It is unaccountability of corrupt officials and the following state-led silence that spreads to the masses, which has allowed economic and socio-political deterioration of a region we have all forgotten is within the geographic confines of Pakistan.