As the energy crisis cripples Pakistan...

EDITORIAL:DAILY TIMES

As Pakistan faces one of the worst phases of its now almost decade-long load-shedding crisis, the Supreme Court’s latest proclamation does not come as a revelation. Terming it ‘artificial’, the Court points to the inadequate generation of power from plants that are capable of producing a higher input. As the summer has finally hit in the full, with the onset of an almost 8-month long period of intense heat, the menace of load shedding has taken on a new form. While the rural areas continue to face breakdowns of 18-20 hours, and at times, the absence of electricity for two or three days, the cities, also reeling under 12-18 hours of load-shedding seem to be further in misery as the duration of power-cuts is on the rise, and the constant fluctuation ensuring no electronics work on their full capacities, thus affecting domestic and business productivity. The solution to the power crisis that has crippled the everyday lives of almost every second Pakistani, halted all tangible economic progress, and played havoc with people’s minds was on the manifesto and election promises of every party, and now it has fallen upon the majority party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to devise a policy that not just gives immediate relief to the suffering of people, but also work on middle and long term plans, without which any stop-gap arrangement would be tantamount to band-aiding an open, bleeding wound. Prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif’s announcement that load shedding would be halved in a fortnight after the formation of his party’s government has come as good news for people, notwithstanding the strength of their faith in any promise after the long chain of unkept promises by the last government , led by the PPP. One of the factors that would be taken into serious consideration by Mr Sharif’s ministry of water and power is the curbing of electricity theft. Power generated. instead of being used for productive purposes is stolen by recipients who use it without paying a rupee for the utility. The 200 billion rupee theft of electricity is not merely a great dent in the treasury of a poor country, but also a cog in the machine that has deprived Pakistan of electricity. The other very important factor that has invariably become the main reason behind the ongoing crisis is the non-payment from the consumer, be it domestic, commercial, or government employed. The arrears due by many government-controlled institutions and high-ranking personnel are so high in monetary amounts that it is baffling how no clear-cut policy to solve it exists. The other noteworthy factor is the outdated infrastructure, which results in tremendous line losses, and whereas the international percentage of such losses is estimated at 15 to 20, in Pakistan it is said to be at an alarmingly high rate of 40 percent. Something has got to give, and that too without any further ado. The new government must take into consideration all steps that could be implemented to alleviate the misery of Pakistanis on short, medium and eventually long-term basis. Solar energy, which should be a given in the cauldron that is most of the Pakistan most months of the year, must be looked into, and in this sector, assistance from China could be utilised. That would on the lines of the very positive talk regarding the generation of power with the help of China between President Asif Zardari and the visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on his debut visit to Pakistan. The deferred plans to acquire cheaper oil on deferred payment basis from good friend Saudi Arabia is one other thing to seriously consider now. And the most important long-term plan would be to utilise unlimited coal reserves in Thar, the extraction of which would give Pakistan 50,000 megawatts of electricity, which is three times the required utility amount. For the PML-N government to be focused on the curtailing, if not immediate elimination, of load shedding is of the utmost importance, which would also be the test of how election slogans actually become a reality after winning the required mandate. The end of load shedding would be a befitting tribute to the PML-N’s slogan of giving Pakistanis a ‘Roshan’ (lit up) Pakistan.