May 17, 2007

Currently, Pakistan is facing a shortage of some 2,000mw –– around 17 per cent of total peak demand, which is likely to hit 17,000mw during hot, humid July and August. This deficit, at the current load growth rate, would grow to 4,000mw by next summer and snowball into 6,000mw by mid-2009

For an elderly patient of Parkinson’s disease, climbing eight flights of steps to the roof of his apartment building was torturous. He was forced to do so because frequent power cuts had taken their toll on the generator and the lift was not operating. “We were lucky that his exhaustion did not result in something serious,” says his daughter.

This is not the only reason of regular ire millions across the country are feeling due to extended hours of load shedding and power breakdowns. The main problem has a domino effect.

In a less affluent neighbourhood of Karachi, 14-year-old Arif says, “I am preparing for my class eight exams. My study schedule is badly affected by unannounced load shedding. Studying becomes difficult in the dark, dingy living quarters that we live in. The heat is unbearable. Then, the whole congested neighbourhood echoes with the sound of shrieking babies made miserable from the heat, shattering one’s already strained concentration level.”

The story of the misery suffered on account of power outages is not confined to the lower income groups, as considerably better off students also suffer at the hands of the power utility. Bilal, 17, and preparing for his intermediate exams, had this to say: “Students suffer great losses, both monetary and time related because of power outages. Making a workable study schedule has become impossible. Tutors come to teach us but extended hours of load shedding make studying impossible. You feel drained and exhausted by the heat. Even if you have power during the day concentration levels are low because of the restless nights that you have to endure, what with frequent breakdowns.”

Noman Farooq, an A’ levels student, shares his frustration, “If there is no power at the examination hall things are made worse. The ink you use smudges the answer sheet because of excessive perspiration in hot weather. Concentration is another issue,” .

Housewives busy with household chores from dawn to dusk are also badly hit by frequent power breakdowns and unannounced load shedding, not to mention kitchen gadgets frequently breaking down because of fluctuation.

“I am not able to work in the kitchen at all, everyone cannot afford a generator and the UPS does not work for very long. Children get restless and stop eating or drinking during these long hours of load shedding. This is not just a power crisis; it is also one of emotions for a mother,” asserts Naina Asad, a housewife.

The statement is endorsed by Uzaira Khalid, another housewife in her mid-30s and a mother of four. “Load shedding without announcement causes many management problems. It would be much easier to handle long hours of power breakdown if the timings are announced and followed.”

She also asserts that the decision by government to shut down shopping centres by 9pm is not a practical one as it is only then that most people find the time to shop. She feels that instead of this, power crisis could be managed more effectively if the timings of marriage ceremonies are regulated and the marriage halls made to shut down at 10pm. “Abuse of excessive lighting at such ceremonies contributes greatly to the crisis,” she stresses.

One would have expected a huge hue and cry from the trader community running the shopping centres in Karachi with regard to the shop closure hours imposed on them but, surprisingly, mixed feelings were given a vent by the traders.

“It is good that this ban has been imposed. Now people would make sure that they shop within the set time limit. Previously it was a nuisance as most shoppers began to pour in only after dark. We’d sit all day doing no business. When you are tired and worn out and about to go home, customers begin pouring in,” says Saeed, a trader at the electronics market in Karachi.

Zahid, who runs a shoe store in an affluent area, is of a different view. He terms the measures taken by the government to handle electricity shortage ‘impractical’. He says it would adversely affect traders and customers as most people prefer to complete household chores and shop later in the evening to avoid the heat. He discloses that in order to complete the work in hand they have been forced to keep their shops open an hour or two beyond the stipulated time. “Such bans only force people to break the law; we are left with no option.”

Zahid, like many other poeple in businesses in his area, uses a generator to keep his shop running. “There is not much difference in the profit margin when we use a generator, as the customers keep pouring in as long as we have the lights on and the air-conditioning running. We would lose a large chunk of our business if we did not use a generator.”

Chinese gadgets have flooded the market have made generators affordable to some to an extent, but those running smaller businesses in not so affluent localities still cannot afford to keep one.

“We lose our customers,” says Haji Mohammad Yar, who runs a small tailoring business in Baloch Colony. This, he says, usually happens because of long hours of power breakdown that cause delays in his work. He feels that a great deal of apathy is at work at the KESC. Its officials sever electricity connections if bills are not paid on time, but do little to enhance their capacity to meet consumers’ needs.

“They don’t realise that we can only pay the bills if we earn something. At times paying off my helpers is difficult for me. We hardly make a profit in summer when power comes and goes. We have families that need to be fed and our children also need to be educated. How are we supposed to do that when we lose the little we have at the hands of an incompetent utility that makes tall claims and delivers nothing?” asks Mohammad Yar.

A similar tale of woe is shared by Nadeem, a washerman operating in PECHS. “Power is shut down for at least two hours daily. This causes us to miss deadlines. We lose our customers and our credibility. Then, despite long hours of load shedding each day, electricity bills keep mounting. We find no respite at present, and there is little hope in the days ahead.”

Nadeem insists that for small businesses such as his, options such as a generator remain a far cry. “We cannot afford to use a generator; it is very expensive even if we manage to get one. Our line of business will still remain affected because irons cannot be run on affordable generators.”

“The other day, the lights went out for six hours, intermittently. We lose business, and the eatables that we make go off,” says Arif who runs a small biryani outlet in Mahmoodabad. “People don’t come to our outlet because the fans are off. Cold drinks become warm. Recently, almost five kilograms of chicken went to waste because the freezer wasn’t working.”

It seems hapless consumers are in for a long haul this summer.