QUETTA: Unknown miscreants on Saturday destroyed a newly completed pipeline built to supply drinking water to thousands of people in Chagai tehsil, police said.

The water supply system, recently finished at a cost of 840 million rupees under the Public Health Engineering department, was badly damaged after armed men set it on fire.

“All pipelines have completely burnt down,” a police officer said.

The project’s executive engineer said it was the first of its kind in the region and was designed to serve residents who had faced a prolonged water shortage.

“Burning the pipeline was an act of hostility against the people, as it has deprived the community of long-awaited access to safe drinking water,” the engineer said. He added that repairs would begin after an assessment of the damage.

Police have opened an investigation into the act of sabotage.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2025