Areas of darkness

We have been experiencing power failure for so many years that the two words have become an integral part of our daily vocabulary. According to a report in this newspaper, there are more than 8,000 villages in Punjab which have never been provided with electricity albeit a plethora of promises. In light of the long-persisting shortage of electricity, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) has suggested that Pakistan prioritise the renewable energy resources to overcome its crippling power crisis. However, still 50 million Pakistanis have no access to grid electricity due to the unavailability of a sufficient amount of power and lack of proper infrastructure. The IREA has ranked the country 115th among 137 economies for reliable power.

The report prepared by the energy department has revealed that a present 1,286 villages in Bahawalpur and 6,500 villages in Lahore are without electricity. The report says the Rural Electrification Programme costing billions has failed to provide electricity to a large number of villages. Around 325,000 households in Punjab currently lack access to electricity. Even in Mianwali, home of PM Imran Khan, known otherwise as a philanthropist, many households have no access to electricity.

Officials say they plan to install solar panels in these areas at a cost of Rs35 billion. The provincial government is working to obtain soft loans from the ADB to finance the project. We hope the plan translates into reality soon, and those used to living in the dark ages are not scared of light after they see the power bills like those living in urban areas. We look forward to the day which Edison envisioned: “We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.” The dictum should not be lost sight of: Economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2019.

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