On Friday, Pakistani political leaders addressed the country’s power load-shedding issue in a press conference televised by most national news agencies. In the joint press conference, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman and Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced that the government will take multiple steps to overcome the nationwide problem. According to GEO Television, Rehman told reporters that a high level meting chaired by President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani “finalized emergent, medium-term and long-term steps to get rid of load-shedding as early as possible.” Ashraf echoed that load-shedding will end in Pakistan by December 2009. GEO added in its coverage, “The Information Minister said that during the meeting it was also decided to end load shedding of natural gas for domestic consumers.”
AAJ Television in its coverage reported at present “the country has 6500 MW of power fr om all sources against the national demand of 11000 MW.” As a result, AAJ reported, the Pakistani government decided “to provide 50 million cubic feet of additional gas and 8000 tons of fuel oil to KESC to increase its power generation capacity. This will lift the burden from WAPDA which will thus be able to inject several hundred megawatts in the national grid.” According to The Nation, Sherry Rehman ultimately blamed “an insufficient level of water resources” for the national power load-shedding problem, asserting that these resources are at “its lowest level in history at 36 percent.” She also added that the decrease in fuel supplies had caused a shortfall of 2700 MW of power in the country.
Numbers and statistics aside, the power load-shedding is a significant issue because of its daily impact on the average Pakistani. According an editorial in today’s Dawn newspaper, “The average duration of rolling power blackouts has more than doubled to 18 hours a day of late, from eight hours in the summer.” Moreover, domestic and industrial consumers in Punjab and the NWFP are facing gas supply cuts due to a widening supply-demand gap. To add insult to injury, noted Dawn’s editors, “the government has raised gas rates but refuses to reduce oil prices in line with the global trend.” In Karachi, reported GEO News, “The power load-shedding worsened on Friday, forcing people to take to the streets and protest against the present crisis…The protesters burnt tires, blocked roads and chanted slogans against power utilities.” Similar protests also have ensued in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Lahore, reported Dawn.
What needs to happen? The Dawn editorial assessed,
Officials claim that the shortages will be overcome by the end of the current year. But until then, there does not seem to be any light at the end of a very dark tunnel. The problem is aggravated with a lack of visible activity on the part of the government. A sense of helplessness prevails. A decisive remedial step now, however unlikely it may seem under the circumstances, will not only benefit the people, it will give a boost to the government which has drawn flak in recent days over its real or perceived inability to move forward.
It seems that with today’s announcement the government is attempting to take that “decisive remedial step” to stem rising public discontent. However, the Pakistani people will obviously respond better to effective action than to political rhetoric. Let’s hope that today’s announcement actually results in some tangible relief. [Images from GEO TV]
Ah, and as I pressed post, my lights go off. Quite the irony!
[…] take multiple steps to overcome the nationwide problem. According […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan asif zardari, conference information, country numbers, cubic feet, domestic consumers, fuel […]
Thank God for generators. We have a gas one that runs for hours on end but it’s really irritating when you’re out eating at a restaurant and you’re plunged into darkness to wait until the waiter reassures you that it’s only a blackout and not a hold-up (which in Karachi is quite a possibility).
For all its flaws, I guess I can’t help but wanting to stay here and try and do my best for the common people.
YH,
That’s interesting about the blackouts related to hold-ups versus load shedding – how often do the hold-ups happen? I know about the kidnappings and the hold-ups occurring at houses and cars in Khi, but not at the restaurants!
Someone please line up the current administration and shoot em!
[…] the latest insight into the loadshedding problem, go to Kal’s […]
Someone please give me a gun. I would be happy to do it.
Yesterday I was shopping at Sam’s Club and found 4 colorful solar garden lights costing $29.95. These were made, where else it could be, in China. Each bulb costs $7.5, equivalent to 600 rupees. If these are not made so flashy and just thought about for common usage, may be they can be sold at Rs. 300-400. If somebody wants to start a business, this can be a good opportunity.
Interesting to read that Haryana Government of India is also planning to distribute free solar lights/lanterns to all the girl students who are excelling in their academics.
We are brothers in this issue too.
The government is least bothered about the electricity crisis. In fact, the are not bothered about any of those crises which were left by the Mush Government. They are just busy chanting slogans such as “Bhutto Zinda hai” and that is what they are doing because that’s what they are best at – chanting empty and meaningless slogans.
@ Ladies and Gentlemen,
Load shedding is been used since years by the
terrorist political parties of Pakistan to discretely
transfer their private armies and their arsenal from
one place to another, there are hundreds of stratigical
manoevrings can be achieved in the ” darkness “.
strange Indian sponsored convoyes !! the main targets
are Karachi, Lahore
Rafay,
That’s an interesting theory – but how does it benefit the government if people are protesting on the streets and losing faith in the regime?
Loadshedding In Pakistan
The problem can be broken into two parts
First economic Here it is called ‘circular debt’ in the west it is ‘balance of payments’ Pakistan must pay for imported oil in USD. It uses all the money sent to Pakistan both USD and British ponds to pay the oil bill. The Pakistani rupee is traded at 85 to 1 with the USD. Everyone wants to hold their savings in USD not PKR. This includes banks central governments and individuals. The USD can be used to purchase goods and services in 182 of the 184 countries of the world. The PKR can only be used in Pakistan.
No money no foreign oil.
Second technical Lack of power stations limits the amount of power being generated.
Proposed solution The government plans to build more power plants. This will be done using Chinese power plants and loans from China to pay for the plants. The new plants will be collocated with new coal mines in Pakistan. Building the power stations next to the coal mines eliminates transportation costs and any delays delivering the coal in a continuous stream so the plant can operate 23 hours a day 365 days per year.
Just the facts
An American Muslim Living in Pakistan……… Jessie
[…] – Changing Up Pakistan writes about the load-shedding problem in Pakistan. Posted by Rezwan Print version Share […]
@ Kalsoom,
fervour, perpetual protest, repeating old issues,
PPP Govt, needs boosters like that, why do you think
they have turn to religeous fervour, the sordid graves
and grave ards, matam, blackness, rememberances,
anniversaries, Shahadat .
Let us not forget, this regime is forced upon Pakistan,
sponsored by India, Israel and US, untill you have media
in your hands 24 hours, any Govt gives a damn to indexes,
opinion, polls its an invisible but absolute dictatorship.!
The style is the same as Leninist Stalinist regimes in
Eastern Europe, you remember ? Stasi , kGB, E.German TV
The Romainians, Czechs, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria etc .
@Kalsoom,
btw, on the photo, a propos of Sherry, one can say
she does’nt have load-shedding (makeup) problem ?
does’nt she ?, well, personal appearances
do impress me most of the times.
I think Sherry could be more attractive with less paint
and light accent ( speech). what do you think ?
@Abdel Basit,
how right you are, Sir !!
Rafay,
Sherry Rehman always wears a TON of makeup! haha!
@ Kalsoom,
oh ! I see, thats why we have killer drones !
i have seen a video in which Sherry Rehman is smoking on a public office .and u know what our president Asif Ali Zardari is 2nd richest person of pakistan. could u believe? how these people can do something good for pakistan. any comments?
lol we had ‘load shedding’ in india many yrs ago…but still all isnt well in many places but the overall situation has improved except maybe in UP and Bihar but then they arent counted as part of the indian republic lol
This all is a problem of resources, when you are not paying your fuel bills and you are relying on new rental power plants which use same fuel to run, how you guarantee that you will pay them? It’s all a game to make money from kickbacks and push Pakistan backwards so we keep on doing whatever get demanded from us.
http://ciitronian.com/blog/pakistan/pakistans-wapda-and-wapdas-website-both-got-hacked/