Pakistan - Has load-shedding been decreased?

Irrespective of winter or summer, there seems no end in sight to the energy crisis. Despite instructions by Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif to cut load-shedding by half across the country, irregular breakdowns continue, intermittently, to hit various urban areas. Although the duration of power breakdowns is lesser this year compared to the previous year, yet the genie of load-shedding is still haunting the masses. Reportedly, Secretary Water and Power Younas Dhaga has claimed that work had been started to implement the PM’s directions to further reduce the duration of laod-shedding. It has been claimed that load-shedding in urban areas would be reduced from six hours to three hours, and in rural areas from eight hours to four hours. The PML-N government deserves appreciation for making efforts to decrease the duration of load-shedding; however, a lot more needs to be done to resolve the crisis once and for all. Ironically, in this century when the utility of electricity is easily available in most countries, Pakistanis still wait for the news about the curtailment or end of load-shedding.

Despite the fact that the use of electricity is less in winter, citizens are still facing power outages. Repeated power failures have already affected industrial and manufacturing units across the country. There are various reasons behind the less production of electricity in Pakistan, which include financial constraints, lack of new power projects, raising burden of circular debt, poor electricity production, power theft, unfair distribution of electricity, and non-payment of electricity bills. Non-recovery of bills by the power distribution companies is stated to be the root cause of the crisis. There is a need to rectify all problems one by one. Until the root causes of the crisis are removed, the situation is unlikely to improve.

Presently, the government is only focusing on increasing power generation while it is making no investment to improve the decades-old, rusty national grid and related power infrastructure, which is vulnerable to collapse at any time. The government needs to take concrete steps for the rectification of the root causes to rid the country of this energy crisis already crippling its economy. The first and foremost step that needs to be taken is efficacious and fair collection of bills from the private and public sectors without any discrimination. Government functionaries and public departments are required to act responsibly and clear all their outstanding dues related to utility bills.

It should be the government’s priority to upgrade the national grid and transmission lines. Induction of technical manpower and investment in power-related infrastructure should be ensured especially in the hydropower generation sector. At present, Pakistan’s power generation mostly relies on thermal power plants that produce almost 65 percent electricity, but the cost of that is very high because thermal power plants are run on furnace and diesel oil. Government is working on a number of projects, including coal-based, hydropower and solar, across the country with Chinese assistance, but it will take time to complete these projects. It is hoped that the incumbent government would fulfil its commitment of ridding the country of energy crisis before the end of its term.