Balochistan excluded from tube well programme

USAID cites non-payment of power bills by farmers as the reason.

ISLAMABAD:

The United States has refused to launch a tube well efficiency improvement programme in poverty-stricken Balochistan, citing non-payment of electricity bills by farmers.

The $18.5 million programme, launched in December last year with a pilot project in Multan, is designed to replace old and provide new tube well pumps at 50 per cent subsidised rates to the farmers. With the new pumps, farmers are saving 20 to 25 per cent of electricity.

“We cannot launch this programme in Balochistan where farmers are not paying their bills,” US Agency for International Development (USAID) representative John Pullinger told the media at a ceremony held to mark the replacement of 1,200 inefficient pumps on Wednesday.

Pullinger said the tube well efficiency was one of six programmes announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in October 2009 to assist Pakistan in addressing energy shortages.

“Now the project has been extended to remaining cities of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, adding the programme had so far helped save eight megawatts of electricity and the target was to save 45 megawatts by replacing around 7,000 tube well pumps.

“At present, the efficiency of tube well pumps is very poor and they are running at 36 per cent efficiency that will be enhanced to 60 per cent,” he added.

USAID Mission Director Andrew Sisson said the programme was part of the US commitment to support efforts of the government and people of Pakistan to build a stronger, more prosperous future for the country as energy was essential for economic growth.

“USAID is working with Pakistani organisations on various short and long-term projects,” he said. “We are implementing several quick impact projects. Over the past year, we have helped the government to complete Satpara and Gomal Zam dams,” he said, adding they were also funding renovation of Tarbela hydropower plant as well as maintenance and repair work at Guddu, Jamshoro and Muzaffargarh thermal plants.

These projects would save, restore or add up to 900 megawatts of power generation capacity by early 2013.

USAID is also working with water and power ministry and power distribution companies to reduce energy transmission losses, increase revenue and improve management of the energy system.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2011.