ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Most parts of the country will start facing major power shutdowns from Jan 1, 2005, owing to serious water shortage in all dams of the country and the resultant reduction in hyro-electric generation, it is learnt.

This will be for the first time in almost a decade that a large- scale load shedding will take place in the country that is expected to prevail well over 45 days of the winter season.

Informed sources said that Wapda had already started unannounced load shedding of up to six hours a day in far-flung areas of the country, including Azad Kashmir, parts of Punjab and the NWFP.

The sources said the water discharge for irrigation from two major reservoirs - Tarbela and Mangla - would come to a halt from Jan 1, for more than a month and no water discharge would be possible exclusively for power generation.

Minister for Water and Power Liaqat Ali Jatoi when contacted by Dawn confirmed that Wapda had submitted a load shedding plan to the government but said he had convened a meeting on Wednesday to see how to minimise it.

He said the power shortage would occur mainly because of water shortage and low pressure of natural gas and there was little the government could do on these two fronts as they were reasons beyond the control of the government

The minister said the meeting would be attended by officials of Wapda, Indus River System Authority (Irsa), distribution companies of Wapda and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC).

He said the federal government would provide maximum finances to meet additional furnace oil requirements to reduce the power shortage. He said the additional requirement for furnace oil would be presented to the prime minister for release of funds.

The Pakistan State Oil (PSO), he said, had already floated tenders for the import of around 330,000 tonnes of furnace oil for the period between January-March to meet thermal power generation requirements.

Meanwhile, Mr Jatoi on Tuesday directed the NTDC to prepare three years advanced plan for replacement and maintenance of the existing grid stations and transformers and also shifting of transmission lines for smooth and uninterrupted power supply to the consumers.