President Zardari’s Plan to Bring Water from Tajikistan to Balochistan: Experts Call It a Political Statement

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari recently announced that clean water would be brought from Tajikistan to provide for the people of Balochistan, including the city of Gwadar. According to Zardari, the water would be transported via a pipeline through Chitral and then reach Gwadar. This announcement was made during a speech at the Pakistan-China Institute, where the President also mentioned that a feasibility report had been prepared with the assistance of the UAE and shared with China.

However, experts with knowledge of the water and Wakhan Corridor issues are skeptical about the feasibility of such a project, calling it a politically charged statement rather than a practical plan.

**A “Fantasy” Project, Say Experts**

Professor Muhammad Zubair, an expert in water resources at Peshawar Agricultural University, expressed concerns about the plausibility of bringing water from Tajikistan to Pakistan. He argued that the distance between Tajikistan and Balochistan is considerable, making it an impractical proposition. “Bringing water from Tajikistan is not feasible due to the vast distance, and this project seems more like a political statement than a realistic plan,” he said.

**The Role of the Wakhan Corridor**

Experts also point out that the water would need to be brought via the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land in Afghanistan, which is both geographically challenging and underdeveloped. “The Wakhan Corridor is a remote and cold area, and water cannot be brought from another country without formal agreements. This makes it even more difficult to carry out such a project,” said Zubair.

Manzoor Ali, a senior journalist with Dawn, agreed that the plan to bring water from Tajikistan to Balochistan is unrealistic. “Perhaps President Zardari is not familiar with the ground realities of the Wakhan Corridor. There is no road access in that region, so how can such a large-scale project be initiated there?” he questioned.

Ali emphasized that Afghanistan’s consent would be needed to bring water from Tajikistan, as Afghanistan also benefits from the rivers in Tajikistan. “Without an agreement with Afghanistan, it would be impossible to bring water from Tajikistan,” he added.

**The Cost and Challenges of Redirecting Rivers**

The plan to divert the Panj River from its natural course to supply water to Pakistan presents another significant challenge. “Redirecting a river is an extremely costly and complex task, which would require billions of dollars,” said Manzoor Ali. He further explained that diverting the river, which currently flows toward Kabul, would be highly expensive, and the cost of such an operation would be prohibitive.

**Feasibility of a 2,000-kilometer Pipeline**

The project involves constructing a pipeline over 2,000 kilometers long, which many experts believe is an unfeasible undertaking for a developing country like Pakistan. “Pakistan has only managed to build the 8-kilometer-long Lowari Tunnel with great difficulty, and constructing tunnels to bring water from Tajikistan would require an extensive network of tunnels,” Professor Zubair pointed out.

Both Zubair and Manzoor Ali believe that it would be more cost-effective and practical to source water for Gwadar from other regions within Pakistan, rather than relying on water from Tajikistan.

**Addressing Gwadar’s Water Issues**

Gwadar, which requires 40 million gallons of water daily, faces growing challenges in meeting its water demand, which is expected to increase in the coming years. To address this, desalination plants have been installed to treat seawater, and plans are in place to lay a 151-kilometer-long pipeline to bring water from small dams.

Experts believe that providing water from nearby sources would be more feasible and affordable than the highly ambitious and costly project of bringing water from Tajikistan.