Pakistan: Load shedding — no end in sight

Whilst we may be enjoying a slight rebate in the intense summer temperatures due to a few scattered rainstorms, one cannot overlook the crippled state of the entire country and our national psyche due to the massive energy crisis. An incredible heat wave has swept through the country — with temperatures reaching as high as 50 degrees in some areas — causing a number of fatalities. Most notable were the tragic deaths of more than 50 worshippers at the Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan, Sindh, due to the excruciating heat. Couple this sweltering time with the constant load shedding and we have a recipe for disaster. In some places the power outages are so bad that inhabitants do not see electricity for more than six hours a day. Urban centres are suffering from anywhere between eight to 10 hours of load shedding, bringing productivity and daily life to a grinding halt.

What is the government doing about this malaise?

Has it forgotten all the promises it made during its election campaign a little more than a year ago? From hearing about the power crisis being sorted out in a matter of days, the masses then heard that the problem would take a year, then three years, and now as much as a decade to resolve. Tall tales and lofty promises do not a credible government make. Industry has almost come to a screeching halt and economic activity is on the decline. The common man cannot afford to install generators and must bear the savage hours of torment without a word of protest. This will not last long. Circular debt is increasing by the day; any small payments the government makes to try and bridge the gap are useless because the root cause of the circular debt issue is not being tackled: the fact that the government itself is the biggest defaulter in paying electricity bills. Top that with the fact that electricity theft still goes on unabated and it is of little surprise that we are battling this hydra of the energy shortfall. The government has got to tackle this matter on a war footing. Too much time has elapsed without the necessary steps being taken to add power to the national grid and actually deliver on all the promises made to the people. The energy crisis is the reason our economy is in the doldrums, stunting growth and investment. The people need a panacea for their daily woes, a large part of which stems from the bane of load shedding. It is time the government finally took concrete steps to help the economy and the people.