Pakistan is developing country and has been facing financial crisis for the last many decades. After coming into Power, President General Musharraf paid his full attention to up lift the country’s economy. He initiated 27 Mega Projects to boost the country’s economy and to bring out Pakistan from financial crisis. These Mega Projects are in Communication sector, Physical planning and Housing sector, Power sector and water sector.
These Mega projects are started for the socio-economic development and for the betterment and general well-being of the people of these areas are underway as planned. They include, Gwadar Deep Seaport, Coastal Highway, Mirani and Subakzai Dams, Kachi Canal and Diamier Bhasha Dam etc. It is certain that these Mega Projects when completed will go a long way in improving the quality of life as well as providing jobs to hundreds and thousands of people and help deal with the problem of poverty and unemployment in these areas.
Each of them have his own importance but the most important ones are Diamier Bhasha Dam, Costal Highway and Gwadar Deeep Sea project. Here we discuss the importance and salient features of the three mega projects.
Given Pakistan’s burgeoning population, a shortage of fresh water is likely to be the most serious problem the country will face in the year ahead. Pakistan is currently using half its available run-off, that is, the water that falls on the country and collected in the rivers, lakes and streams, and is drawing half as much again from underground springs and acquifiers.
It has been estimated that by 2025 demand will reach 92% of the entire run-off. So Pakistan faces an awkward choice. Either it must reduce the amount of water used by farmers or it must make huge investments to develop new supplies and build more storage reservoirs. Feeding Pakistan in the years ahead will require such gigantic schemes to be successful-or it will require farmers to use water more efficiently.
Diamier Bhasha Dam
The dam is the first mega reservoir in the country after the Tarbela dam, which was commissioned in 1976. Due to the fast silting of major water reservoirs and the country’s growing agriculture and industrial requirements, Pakistan desperately needs more dams in the face of an impending water shortfall.
The $6.5 billion project is part of the president’s Water Vision-2016 that envisages the construction of four more major dams — Kalabagh, Akhori, Kuram Tangi and Munda
The Diamer-Bhasha dam will be completed in seven years. It will create massive economic activity and usher in an era of prosperity through the development of agriculture and industrial sector in the country.
The dam would generate 4,500 megawatts of electricity and have a gross storage capacity of 7.3 million acres feet (maf) of water, thus helping the government to achieve its target of providing safe drinking water to every District by 2007, besides generating cheap electricity.
Costal High way: A 2600 km road from Gwadar Port to Afghanistan, China and Kyrgyzstan has been declared Asian Highway. All link roads from Gwadar Port have been completed, which would open for heavy traffic and long track transport by December 2006. These roads will also be used for the Afghan transit trade. The roads to China and Kyrgyzstan would be completed.
The government is building network of roads with a total cost of about Rs 35 billion to provide better linkages to Gwadar Port which already has access up to Chamman through a combination of Coastal Highway (H-10) and ECO Highway (N-25). He directed the Ministry of Communications and the NHA to upgrade the existing road from Gwadar-Hoshab-Pangur-Nag-Basima and Sorab the construction of road upto Pangur and beyond subsequently so that two routes are available between Gwadar and the Central Asian Republics. NHA is working on eight projects to provide network of accesses to Gwadar and from Gwadar to various domestic and foreign locations. Liari Gwader road has been completed, Gwadar-Jiwani-Gadab road will be completed in 2009 will provide access to Iran. 57% work of Gwadar – Turbat-Hoshab project has been completed, and the remaining works will be completed by March 2007, Basima-khuzdar road will be completed by 2009, 60% work on Khori-Wangu hill project has been completed and the remaining portion of the Qubo-Saeed Khan to Wangu hills will be completed in 36 months.
GWADAR DEEP SEA PORT: Gawadar is now destined to be the most important upcoming coastal town located on the inter junction of the three most strategically and economically important regions of the world that are oil rich Middle East, South Asia where one- fifth of world population lives and the Central Asian Republics endowed with mineral wealth and an educated and highly disciplined workforce. Mega development projects such as Gwadar ‘will not only bring massive economic development to the province and the country but also serve as trade corridor for Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Gulf region’. Clearly, as local workforce is being trained for mega projects, more people will get employment. The Government is also working on a comprehensive plan to create economic zones in Tribal Areas to create better economic opportunities for the people. This project will be helpful in poverty alleviation. The Gwadar Port has emerged on the world map and international media is highlighting its importance in view of expanding global trade. The common man will benefit greatly from the fruits of these projects in next four to five years and one must plan for long term.
As a final point, it is imperative to provide adequate resources to steer these areas on the path of socio economic development. The Government must ensure that the paucity of fund does not come in the way and make certain that the various other decisions taken to put these areas on the express highway of progress and prosperity are implemented with a sense of urgency.
The completion of the Mega Projects would be vitally helpful in achieving all-round economic development. The dream of development in the country would not be achieved if these Mega Projects especially Gwadar Port would not operate successfully.