LAHORE, Sept 13: Loadshedding will continue during Ramazan despite the Water and Power Development Authority’s efforts to minimise it, says Minister concerned Liaquat Ali Jatoi.

At a hurriedly-called press conference here at Wapda House on Thursday, the minister said there was no way to end loadshedding in near future as demand for electricity had grown beyond all expectations, and it swelled too rapidly to meet it.

Flanked by newly-appointed Wapda Chairman Shakil Durrani and Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Managing Director Munawwar Baseer, he said separation of water and power wings was meant to make the sectors efficient and also to fulfil commitments made with the donors. It would also facilitate the accountability process in both wings and benefit the consumers, he added.

The minister said various hydro and thermal projects were in the pipeline and some of them should be online by the year 2008, easing the power situation. Hydro projects include Khan Khawar and Kuram Tangi dam. Design of Akhori Dam is ready and Kalabagh dam awaits a national consensus.

Talking about the power tariff, he said the government was selling power at 33 per cent cheaper rates if the current oil price and the then price, when the independent power producers (IPPs) were recruited, was something to go by.

About the security situation in South Waziristan and its impact on local power projects, he said it had been beefed up to maximum level. The work on the projects was going on in spite of minor hiccups, he claimed. —Staff Reporter