The mess that is the power sector

There will be times when technical faults in the electricity distribution system of the country will occur, with machinery and equipment malfunctioning and the role of humans only limited to resolving the issue after the event. But the case of the recent massive power breakdowns in large parts of the country, mainly in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is a little different. These power outages are not just a result of technical failure. They have occurred in large part due to inefficiency and corruption in the power sector. Electricity usage has increased over recent decades — not always legally — and very little has been done to augment the supply side. Worn-out overhead cables — that falter at the first drop of rain — and connections as intertwined as clogged arteries indicate that very little has been done to improve the ageing infrastructure. With the demand for electricity galloping, customers should perhaps start preparing for the worst.

The two power breakdowns in the last week that plunged northern parts of Pakistan into darkness have signalled that things could get much worse in the future. While the situation now appears to be under control, is there any guarantee that such power breakdowns will not occur again? In fact, we can safely predict that such occurrences will be repeated. Added to the power breakdowns is the perennial problem of regular power outages (aka load-shedding) despite promises of one government after another that the crisis in the power sector will be resolved soon. The government’s bid to privatise power-sector companies seems to be off-track at the moment, but is there any plan to overhaul them so as to at least eliminate the kind of breakdowns one experiences a little too often these days? It seems that Pakistanis will have to make peace with power outages and breakdowns for the foreseeable future. But the authorities should not test the patience of the citizenry for too long. People are tired of listening to empty promises and hollow rhetoric. We want to see results and even if they come in slowly, at least some forward movement needs to be witnessed soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th,  2016.

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