Parched land

This refers to the letter ‘Gwadar sans water’ (Jul 24) by Liaquat Saleh. The problem of the water crisis is not limited to Gwadar, but has spread to most parts of the country, including Karachi. The country is on the verge of being a water-stressed country. Depleting resources and climate change have made the situation even worse. It seems that those in charge with the governance of the country think that people can live without water but they cannot live without motorways, bridges, tunnels and airports. We want to develop Gwadar as a world-class port. But the city is deprived of the basic necessity, water.

Building large and small dams should have been a top priority. But it seems that rulers are not interested in going this way. India has built a large number of big and small dams that are benefitting the country’s agriculture and manufacturing sectors and contributing to a robust economy with burgeoning exports and huge reserves. Our rulers should also follow the example set by our neighbouring country.

Arshad M Khawaja (Karachi)