January 06, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 26, 1428

ABBOTTABAD, Jan 5: Amid a terrible power crisis in most parts of the country, the Doga village in Thandyani is enjoying an uninterrupted supply of electricity from a small hydel unit installed by the residents.

According to a local councillor, Ishaque Qureshi, a 3-kilowatt generator was installed over the nearby Kunhar nullah about 12 years ago with a cost of only Rs14,000. Electricity is provided from this unit to each of the 25 houses in the village for a monthly charge of Rs100.

The amount generated from the monthly contribution is paid to the caretaker, who starts the unit daily at sunset and puts it off in the morning.

A few years ago, four more units were installed in the area as the number of consumers increased sharply. The people use power from this facility in addition to the electricity provided by the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company.

Mr Ishaque said that the cost of the repair and maintenance of the units was shared by the consumers.

He told Dawn that with the units in operation, consumers could burn three to four bulbs or tube lights, besides using the iron as well as a television set. He said that if the NWFP government or the district government wanted to establish its own power generation units of 10 to 15 KW, then they could buy the same from the country’s major cities.

He said second-hand units imported from Italy or Germany could also be installed.

He said power generation through water is less costly as compared to other sources and needed minor expenditure to keep the units in order.

The flow of water in the nullah was the same throughout the year. Mr Qureshi added that the small power units could be a source of earning for the district government or the provincial government.