Is Pakistan’s relentless quest for nuclear capability the unifying thread binding its four provinces and three territories? Perhaps. Yet, as history and human experience whisper through the corridors of time, the truest and most enduring bond lies not in power, but in water. When shared with justice and wisdom, water emerges as a timeless force, weaving together the fabric of a nation with unmatched grace.
Nature has generously bestowed upon Pakistan a symphony of interconnected rivers, a gift that transcends the divides of geography. The two main rivers of Balochistan, the Zhob and Kundar, carve their origins from its rugged heart, journeying onward to embrace the Gomal River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Together, they flow toward the mighty Indus, a lifeline threading through Punjab and finally Sindh, where it breathes life into fields and communities. In the intricate choreography of rivers and canals, there lies a profound truth: nature, when nurtured and shared with equity, holds the power to bind the hearts of a nation. In these flowing waters, the spirit of unity finds its most enduring roots.
The bond between provinces was further fortified in 1969, with the completion of the Pat Feeder Canal for Balochistan, a triumph that drew life from the Indus at the Guddu Barrage. As the largest irrigation project in Balochistan, the canal transformed the arid lands of Nasirabad and Jafarabad districts. Pakistan’s irrigation history shines with this success story, which sparked agricultural prosperity and bridged Baluchistan’s socio-economic gap with the rest of the country, fostering shared growth.
Buoyed by this success, the vision of the Kachhi Canal Project was born in 2002—a bold endeavor stretching over 500 kilometers, drawing water from the Taunsa Barrage on the Indus and channeling it deep into Balochistan. Designed to irrigate 720,000 acres of land, nearly triple the reach of the Pat Feeder Canal, this project held the promise of transforming the lives of those in Dera Bugti, Naseerabad, Sibi, and Jhal Magsi. These districts, among the most impoverished and troubled in Balochistan, were poised for a renaissance, their fates intertwined with the life-giving waters of the canal.
It is a sorrowful chronicle of profound negligence, a saga stretching over 23 long years since the Kachhi Canal Project was first envisioned in 2002. Born with the promise of prosperity, it has languished, incomplete, and marred by missteps, its initial cost of PKR 32 billion swelling to a staggering Rs 80.4 billion. The culprits are many, but foremost among them are the project’s consultants and the Planning Commission—names already tarnished by the disastrous Neelum Jhelum hydropower project, a Rs 600 billion blunder almost abandoned due to a fatal design flaw.
The tale of the Kachhi Canal bears a grim resemblance. In the floods of 2022, its 363-km main channel suffered devastating damage as the consultants failed to account for the ferocious hill torrent flash floods cascading from the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range. This was no mere oversight but an emblem of systemic neglect.
In Balochistan, poverty casts its longest shadow in rural areas, where livelihoods hinge on agriculture—a lifeline strained by water scarcity. Only 7.2% of the province’s land is cultivable, with water as the primary constraint. Despite this, Balochistan has been denied its rightful share of the Indus River under the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991. Allocated a mere 3.66%—the smallest share among provinces— Balochistan has seen even this pittance squandered by the canal’s non-completion.
In 2020, WAPDA’s then-chairman proclaimed that the canal, once operational, would irrigate 102,000 acres, with 75,000 acres dedicated to Balochistan. Had it been realized, this land could have created 450,000 jobs since 2007, the project’s original completion date—jobs that would have transformed lives, lifted families from poverty and breathed hope into the embattled districts of Dera Bugti, Naseerabad, Sibi, and Jhal Magsi.
The delays are a tragic symphony of bureaucratic failures: shifting project scopes, endless variation orders, and a cascade of overruns in cost and time. Feasibility studies were delayed, designs flawed, contracts awarded without fairness, and construction supervision plagued by incompetence. The dream of cultivating Baluchistan’s barren lands remains deferred, with Phases II and III of the project still unrealized.
As a former Planning Commission director, I developed a real-time monitoring mechanism in 2008 for projects in the remotest areas for the Planning Commission —an initiative designed to ensure transparency, control costs, and maintain quality. Had this been implemented, the Kachhi Canal might today stand as a symbol of achievement rather than a monument to neglect.
This is more than a tale of corruption, incompetence, and missed opportunities. It is a betrayal of the people of Balochistan, who endure deepening deprivation while other provinces see swift infrastructural progress. Lahore and Islamabad boast underpasses built in record time, while Baluchistan’s lifeline remains unfinished after nearly a quarter-century. The delay is not just an administrative failure but a crime against the nation, widening the chasm between the state and its people.
The unfulfilled promise of the Kachhi Canal is more than a lost economic opportunity; it is a squandered chance to fortify the bonds between Balochistan and the rest of Pakistan. In a region plagued by insurgency and despair, this canal could have been a beacon of hope, creating livelihoods and easing the sense of abandonment. Instead, its absence fuels the fires of alienation.
The blood of soldiers, the poison of corruption, and the specter of misgovernance cannot coexist in Balochistan or Pakistan at large. It is time to shelve the dysfunctional Planning Commission and commit to a real-time system, ensuring public funds are used with integrity. If the Kachhi Canal is completed with urgency, it could provide employment, alleviate poverty, and empower Baluchistan’s youth to reclaim their destiny—eliminating insurgents not with force, but through prosperity and inclusion.
As the sun sets over the arid landscape of Balochistan, a sense of despair settles over the land. The promise of water, a lifeline for the parched earth and its people, remains unfulfilled. The Kachhi Canal Project, envisioned over two decades ago, still languishes in limbo, a testament to the systemic neglect and bureaucratic failures that have plagued its implementation. The people of Balochistan wait with bated breath, their lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance. The fate of the Kachhi Canal Project, and with it, the future of the province, hangs precariously in the balance. Will the Prime Minister seize this moment to translate his words into action, or will the status quo prevail, condemning Balochistan to a future of drought, despair, and desperation.
