Power shortage hits Pakistan at start of summer

DPA

Islamabad

Pakistanis were bracing for a hot summer without enough electricity as a government minister yesterday warned that daily power outages of several hours would get longer in the coming weeks.

Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said at a press conference in Islamabad that the country was facing more than 3,200 megawatts of shortage every day, resulting into 8-10 hours of supply breakdowns.

“The demand has increased many times due to the increase in temperature which we cannot meet immediately. The situation may improve after June,” said Asif, referring to monsoon rains increasing hydroelectric production.

Geo TV reported up to 18 hours daily of electricity shortages in rural areas.

Private media have reported protests in several districts.

Asif denounced the protests and said people involved in electricity theft were provoking violence. He also urged the population to stay calm.

“We are working on several projects and the situation will definitely improve in the coming years,” he said.

The public does not take seriously official promises of an end to the crisis.

“We voted for this government to immediately deal with the energy issue but it has failed to deliver,” said Muhammad Ali, a shopkeeper who lives in Rawalpindi near Islamabad.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last year campaigned with the promise to end the electricity crisis and won the elections.

Worsening shortfall across Pakistan has forced the prime minister to directly intervene in efforts to mitigate the situation, official sources said yesterday.

According to the officials of National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), the premier while taking strict notice of unscheduled load-shedding ordered top officials to establish control rooms as well as appoint spokespersons in all power distribution companies (discos) to deal with the public complaints.

“The chief executives concerned will be responsible if the government finds any complaint related to unscheduled load-shedding in any area,” an NTDC official said.

The official said the government had also taken serious notice of massive load-shedding in Lahore, calling an explanation from Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) chief executive Arshad Rafique.

Pakistan has been in the grip of severe energy crisis for more than five years and successive governments have failed to solve the problem.

Sources in the federal ministry of water and power yesterday said the ministry collected Rs3.02bn in the span of five days ending last Wednesday.

The extensive recovery campaign would continue without any discrimination and for the purpose fresh notices were also being issued to more defaulters, the sources reminded.

It is for the first time that such a campaign has been launched nationwide. The effort would essentially yield good results since the government was determined not to show leniency in the case of power theft and recovery of dues, the sources added.