Water, power ministers say they can't end loadshedding till prices are raised

The only option is to raise power prices, according to caretaker ministers for water and power.

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani ministers in charge of water and power explained what can be done to end power cuts of up to 20 hours a day in parts of the country enduring temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and above - absolutely nothing, it seems, except raise prices.

The power shortages have sparked violent protests and crippled key industries, costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in a country already beset by high unemployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty and a Taliban insurgency.

The loadshedding means many families cannot pump water, let alone run air-conditioners, with a disastrous knock-on effect on health and domestic life.

Caretaker Ministers Musadiq Malik and Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui "expressed their inability to overcome the crisis", the Daily Times quoted them as telling a news conference in Lahore, where the temperature was 40 C on Monday.

"They have termed financial constraints as a major, and incompetence as a minor, hurdle in resolving the issue," the newspaper said.

"Presenting the realistic picture, the ministers announced that they were going to increase the price of electricity and gas for all sectors."

They gave no details but said the problem would get worse before it gets better.