Adil Najam
Are we really serious about energy conservation? And, by ‘we’ I mean all of us, not just the government.
The government is making a high profile move on the subject by announcing new policies for energy conservation, better policing of energy abuse, and of new power generation. We have written about energy often (here, here, here, here, here) and our post on solar energy continues to get much attention.
As someone who works in this area, I know that (a) this is the single most important economic leverage available to economic decision makers in Pakistan, and (b) while not easy, this – unlike other pressing issues, like water, for example – is an area where something could actually be done; because technically and even fiscally there is a real set of useful things that are actually doable.
And, yet, I find my self sadly cynical that things will change. Not just because I am still not convinced that this is a priority for the government and decision-makers but also because I know that our media is too interested in the ‘sexy’ stuff of politics to care much about this, and frankly given all we see in our own energy usage (rich or poor) I am not sure if even we consumers are willing to do anything more than crib (specially, since much that needs to be done for conservation needs to be done by us). Sadly, we pay attention only when things go so very bad that people revert to energy violence.
I feel bad about being so cynical. And I sincerely hope that I am wrong.
P.S. On a related note, here is an op-ed I just published on Pakistani environmentalist Dr. Tariq Banuri’s run to be the next United Nations climate change chief.
The hot summer is yet to come, but we are already feeling the hype in load-shedding which is making the people to rise in protest all over the country. As usual the media is trying to do its job in giving vent to their grievance in this respect but I find nowhere any mention of theft of power by the WAPDA themselves, which, in my view, is contributing a lot to the outage of power. Perhaps the people do not know that WAPDA allows free use of electricity by its personnel, and if people do the same they call it theft. This is like allowing a policeman to commit 2 or 3 burglaries freely during a month (one for paying the electricity bill and one for school fees of the children) or an audit employee to commit frauds likewise. Although there was hardly any check on theft of power by Wapdians even when they were not formally allowed to do so, but after that it was ‘moujaan eiy moujaan’ for them.
I relate a true story hear when the wapda personnel had not yet been allowed free (Halaalified) use of electricity:
“There was a Wapdian friend of mine with whom we had family relations. One day he came to my house with a ‘tableeghi jamaat’, out on house to house delivery of their wapdian islam. I took my friend on one side and said to him,” Why have you of all the people come to preach Islam when I know that you steal electricity so freely that you use it even for heating and cooking and even wash your floors with water heated on electricity and perform ablution, etc., for namaz with that rendering every thing ‘harram” in shariah.” I was surprised by his answer when he said,” You are mistaken, dear friend, theft of a ‘ghair marraeihy’ (invisible) thing is not ‘harraam’ in shariah”.”
I wonder why one thing which is harraam for the people in general is hallaal (free) for wapdians. I am sure if an extraneous check is placed on use of power which they call free for them and theft by the people called, there may perhaps be no load-shedding or reduced a lot. But who is going to bell the cat?
Given the ever escalating electricity bills,most people have little choice but to be serious about energy conservation.The government’s credibility is shot.I still marvel at the straight faced lie that load shedding would be a thing of the past by December 2009 !
Our banks provide loans for luxuries I have a very simple question why they cannot provide loans for the purchase of solar cells?
I think only democratically elected leaders can lead the country into progress.
Anyway have you heard about another IJT lawlessness in International Islamic University Islamabad and I hear they are even getting stronger in Punjab University. Allah save our nation from these Zia followers.
Link 1 | Link 2
Its just another BS of the ruling elite to give lolly pop to the furious people already on the streets ad the Shameless Rulers are fearing some sort of Kyrgyzstan situation here. If Dressing of Yousaf Raza Gilani comes to moderate level and 90 chor and smugglers sitting in Cabinet should be kicked out , it would save us much more than shutting down already drownd business and industry. Liquid Gas Scandal , PIA, Steel Mill 40 billion corruption, EOBI,Sugar Don Mafia sitting in Parliment and they are saying Pakistanis to conerve energy , what a joke !