GWADAR: The emerging port city of Gwadar and adjacent areas are again facing acute shortage of drinking water as tanker owners have stopped supply from the Mirani dam reportedly because of non-payment of their outstanding dues by the authorities.

A representative of the water tanker owners, Haji Liaquat Ali, said here on Saturday that they would not resume supplying water to Gwadar and other small coastal towns till their dues amounting to millions of rupees were not cleared by the authorities.

“The tanker owners are facing financial problems as they had not been paid a single penny for the last five months. They are now under the burden of heavy loans they obtained for the payment of fuel, salaries of tanker drivers and to meet other expenditures to continue water supply from Mirani dam to the port city,” Haji Liaquat told Dawn.

He said petrol pumps had stopped supplying diesel and petrol to water tankers due to none-payment of their dues for the last four months. “Even we have no money to pay salaries of drivers and other staff,” Haji Khalid Dashti, owner of a water tanker said.

Representatives of the tanker owners held the behaviour of the local administration’s officials responsible for the crisis, saying that during negotiations with them police had taken 11 of their people into custody. The unnecessary action caused suspension of the negotiation between the authorities and the tanker owners, they added.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2018