Electricity for 160 Million People
By Farid Masood • Jun 20th, 2009 • Category: Entertainment • 10 CommentsCitizens of Pakistan are suffering from electric power shortage. Government claims that not a single Kilowatt power was added into the system in nine years of Musharraf era.
Nation accepted the plea and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was nominated as Minister for Water & Power in March 2008. Raja sahib announced that by August 2009 we shall eradicate power shortage and there shall be no load-shedding after August 2009. After some time he re-planned his theory & announced that there shall be no load-shedding by December 2009.
Now a days many cities of Pakistan are having nominal load shedding, while some big cities are having tremendous power outage spells. Every alternate hour power outage is witnessed and power outage span shall increase in the months of June, July, August and September (hot season months) from twelve to eighteen hours a day.
Minister for water and power may be able to arrange some more megawatts (MWs) by the end of December 2009 for the people who started suffering power shortage since 2006. Due to load-shedding there is chances of abnormal increase in population by the end of year 2009. The increase in population in last three years would also need more many megawatts to be arranged.
Last forty years or so every Pakistani is witnessing load-shedding, let us see year 2010 shall be load-shedding free year.
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Pakistan has more than enough electricity production capacity if all the resources are used to produce electricity. The truth is previouse government as well existing governenment is not paying the IPPs as well the government owned companies for the purchase of required furnace oil. I wish you could mention that fact in your post Mr. Masood.
thanks for your comments, I had mentioned it months ago in one of my features on TPS. It was purely entertainment article.
Farid
You have raised a very valid serious problem threating our normal lives after our security concerns.If we common citizens reach home after facing no terrorist attack, the other ghost of electricity free system stands our door step to haunt us..It is highly affecting our mental health and daily efficiency in our routine jobs.Go to any offices people now plan jobs for 4 to 5 hrs if they have electricity,visit any industry and you will find that along with load shedding, men shedding from their jobs is also multiplying grievances of common man.Even our hospitals are not exempted of this acute deficiency.
I dont think so that govt can add single megawatt in coming year.The govt who can allocate 1.5 bn dollar to war games and having a burden of 40 m displaced people cannot overcome such a huge problem.Aansa is right that today’s problem is non seriousness attitude of govt toward IPPs whom bills are being avoided .Today a friend of raja ashraf was telling me as this minster is very close to Bhutto so zardari has assigned him this job to hear the maximum abuses from the public .So from such a comments from raja shaib’s friends hints us non seriousness of our ministers and ministries.
This problem can never be solved till we not bring justice in the system. I believe that still we have ample of electricity for normal use. Yes for normal use.
I give you solid examples and those who have same experience as I have, will surely agree. Army is the biggest consumer of electricity. Most of their cantonments don’t have even electricity meters. Majority of military families uses electricity heaters and cooking range for cooking food, boiling water and heating rooms. No WAPDA can dare to cut their connections. Then even in these high load shedding days, you will find only 2 hours load shedding in all cantonments. Officers are getting subsidized bills (40% subsidized) if there is unknowingly any meter at their home. No WAPDA person have access in Military area to check meter reading. Army have their own M.E.S. for this work and M.E.S is under same officers. Thanks Allah, SuiGas is reading meters itself in Cant.
FATA, the other biggest consumer of free electricity. No one can dare to cut their lines.
WAPDA employees, their relatives and neighbors are the third biggest free consumers of electricity.
MNAs, MPAs, President and Prime Ministers are the fourth biggest free consumers.
If Government would be serious to curb this problem, then she could start from controlling leackages and thefts instead of waiting for new plants to come and start work…
Saleem
you have given an accurate picture of our mismanagement of our resources that are being rapidly controlled by some specific groups.it is not only electricity but all other state facilities, water, Natural gas.hidden coal reserves,education, land, and health all are now in hand of elite class.They are not bothering whether its distribution is on fair and correct basis but all are working on same directions to grab all state facilities within their control and left over is for majority so that they always keep busy in hustle and bustle for their survival as normal citizens.
Thanks,
Regarding coal, I give you another true example. A younger brother of Tariq Aziz (principal secretary of Musharraf) is owing Coal Mine in Chakwal (Choha Saidan Shah) and is a billionaire man right now. I tell you his history. He was Engineer in Government department for searching under ground natural resources. As he found large quantity of coal in that said area, he gave report to Government that we find nothing in this area and also resigned from government job after few months. Went to that area and purchased couple of acres of land on that mountain and started making money.
When these kind of people are occupying our country then you can expect any thing.
slaeem
Its very beautiful area that you have mentioned and if it is happened as you said then our rulers are our real criminals who sold their national assets to their friends as I said too that now our natural resources are tumbling in few hands.
In coal reserves of Baluchistan such a rigid report of its non usability on the basis of high sulphar contents is already been induced in our departments and no one is ready to hear that such quality coals are abundantly used in the world near the seas in power generation plant.Americans and EU are giving the world such technology that can overcome this problem in much a better way then before.But our weak management is big hurdle in our true power generation programs.
Well said. Its very beautiful area and I visited three four times. I myself saw those coal mines, as these are near the main road of choha saidan shah. Anyway it is one example that come in my notice. Pakistan is full of such examples.
Can one Chief Justice or one Chief Minister change whole system? Do you not feel that their actions and corrective measures are temporary. As they will leave their positions, things will come back to its worst position.
Saleem
These are actaully strong areas of white collar crimes that they always make their paper work white and clear through under hand deals and their control on all legalities of such matters.We need CJP of like people in all departments to head and listen the voice of their conscience only.National spirit is quite absent from our goals.You can dig every developmental projects being approved by our ministries, you hardly find any case which is free of nepotism or scandals in this and last regime.Private sectors are showing some positive signs but are now insignificant in playing any serious role in the stability of country.
In the last ten years Pakistan’s $75 billion economy boomed into a $160 billion economy, with the consumption of gas, electricity and coal increasing YEARLY to an average rate of 7.8 percent, 5.1 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.
The major Energy consumption sectors of the country are: Industrial (38.3 percent), Transport (32.8 percent), Residential and Commercial (25 percent), Agriculture (2.5 percent) and others (2.2 percent).
As regards Electricity, the Household sector has been the largest consumer over the last 10 years, on average consuming 44.8 percent, followed by Industrial sector (29.4 percent), Agriculture (12.2 percent), Commercial sector (5.9 percent), Street lights (10.6 percent), the officials say.
The number of electricity consumers grew from 15.9 million in 2005-06 to 16.7 million in 2007, showing a growth of about 70 percent over the last 10 years.
In 1999, our installed capacity was merely 15,860 MW. (With Hydel 4826 + Thermal 10,897 + Nuclear 137)
In 2005-06, our installed capacity increased to become 20,495 MW. (With Hydel 6499 + Thermal 13,534 + Nuclear 462)
The first unit of 290-megawatt of Ghazi Brotha Hydel Project (GBHP) went into operation in June 2003, and contributed around 50mw of electricity to the national grid.
President Pervez Musharraf launched the Rs 130 billion (US 2.16 billion) Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric project aimed at producing 969 MW power.
Mismanagement, corruption, power theft, line losses, these are the areas where we must improve and with the present capacity the energy crisis will be reduced to nil.
Kalabagh dam is the need of the time. We must rise above all our political rivalries and take decisions in the broader national interest.