Pakistan will go for more coal fired electricity than furnace oil. This is the main point of the 2013-18 power policy. The policy was finalized by Council of Common Interests on July 31. Energy mix will be changed in 3-5 years so that electricity prices remain affordable and load shedding is eliminated by gradual increase in generation. Increase in generation will be kept two steps ahead of demand to get rid of load shedding .

This will be attained mainly by substituting furnace oil with coal. Pakistan’s energy mix was topped by hydro power 20 years ago, said an official. PM Special Assistant on Energy Dr Musadik Malik said the new policy would eliminate supply – demand gap. We would set up ‘coal corridors’, ‘energy cities’ and ‘industrial corridors’ to attract investors. We would woo foreign investors here as the government is unable to spare $ 7-8 b from its resources. CCI deferred the issue of Federal Adjuster for a month as three provinces – Khyber, Sindh and Balochistan – did not agree with proposed mechanism.

The matter will be discussed by M/o Water & Power and 3 provinces. If required, the issue will be put back to CCI. Provinces are facing different issues. For instance, transmission in Balochistan is not high quality; and cannot be given full electricity. Electricity in Khyber is under attack. Muha-mmadi grid station – a key station destroyed by terrorists, is functioning at half capacity. Potential of hydro generation in Khyber is substantial and it intends more hydro power plants. Sindh has huge Thar coal which would be used for thermal power.

Sindh is the only province which has given its suggestions for the power policy. It urged giving Thar coal due importance in power generation. However, some suggestions appear to have been ignored in the new policy.

These points are: 1. Sindh wanted the ‘concept of provincial grids and tariff setting bodies’ includd in the proposed power policy. 2. It had wanted that development of transmission network be prioritised in case of Thar and coastal areas of Sindh. 3. Fiscal incentives for mining and power projects at Thar as approved by ECC be highlighted in the power policy to attract direct private/ foreign investment in Thar. 4. Fixed time frame be included in rules for implementing the policy on an immediate basis rather than allow amendments to cause further delay. Though the new policy rightly emphasizes use of Thar coal as ‘Fuel 1’, but strangely enough the policy is totally silent on adopting/ developing solar, wind and bio-gas as big sources of power. No explanation of this silence could be obtained immediately.

Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) supported by FIA teams raided (August 2) and cut 500 kunda connections and 300 non-payers of bills in Dadu and surrounding areas.

Over 50 FIRs against were also lodged for illegal connections. SEPCO removed 3 illegal transformers in Talti and Guduabad towns in Taluka Bhan Syedabad. According to a senior SEPCO officer outstanding amount against 300 non-payers of bills was about Rs 13 million.

All suspects involved in theft of electricity escaped during the raids.

Sindh government has refused to install combined effluent treatment plants (CETP) in Landhi and Korangi industrial areas and told industrialists to do it themselves. Sindh Environment Secretary Dr Zulfiqar Shallwani, said it was mandatory for industrialists to treat their effluents and bring it within limits of National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) before letting it out of their premises. He said under environment laws CETPs are industrialists’ responsibility. The government can allocate nothing for such projects.

And industrialists should fulfill their corporate responsibility and put up waste water treatment facility collectively for controlling industrial pollution. Sindh Environmental Protection Agency chief Naeem Mughal said industry and other stakeholders must fully abide by that law. The government can provide technical guidance and consultancy, if industries so wish, while industries not treating their effluents could face action for violating the law. Besides effluents, disposal of industrial solid waste is also required. Relevant civic agency could help here.

SEPA monitoring teams would visit industries to collect waste water samples to see if effluents are being properly treated. KATI had requested the government for help because individual industrialists did not have enough funds or space for treatment plants as CETPs need huge sums. They said that since the government had installed a CETP at Kotri, it should also help other industrial areas.

They said manufacturing costs were already moving up due to law and order situation, load shedding etc. And this makes sparing funds difficult.

Sindh is facing a huge problem, all its three barrages at Sukkur, Kotri and Guddu are sick and need to be rebuilt. Farmers and experts are worried about this but the government does not seem to be concerned – prima facie, not at all. Built in 1932, Sukkur barrage is over 80 years in age. It services 8 million acres through seven major canals. It is in bad shape now for the past many years. Condition of Kotri (built in early 1950s) and Guddu (built in mid 1960s) barrages is even worse.

These barrages had given Sindh the best irrigation system, but due to unconcerned authorities, they have fallen prey to degradation. So much so that an IRSA (Indus River System Authority) team had noted that silt in the river had turned into a ‘delta’ just upstream of Sukkur barrage. Guddu and Kotri barrages too are utterly mismanaged. Silt deltas are a threat to the barrage structure. But no de-silting had been done at Sukkur though funds had been sanctioned for it. Such a delta takes years – not days – to come into being. Irrigation officials are required to keep dismantling all such formations to let the water flow smoothly across the barrage, said an over 70 years old resident of Sukkur. But our Irrigation Department has done nothing over the years, thus turning the ‘delta’ into a threat for the barrage structure, he added.

It is about time that G/o Sindh and Islamabad begin seriously exploring possibilities of building new/ alternative barrages to save the province’s agriculture and national economy. Apart from ill attention of the Irrigation Department, another big villain here is direct outlets (DOs) given to big land lords. Irrigation Act has no room for DOs. These DOs are one of the main reasons for agriculture sector’s destruction says Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB). They oppose DOs. SAB president told the press that DOs have destroyed different canals and distributaries. An IRSA team had recently found 70 DOs in Kirthar Canal taking off from Guddu Barrage and mainly serving Balochistan.

Of these illegal modules, 63 are in Sindh and 7 in Balochistan. As per SAB estimates, Rohri and Nara Canals, both taking off from Sukkur Barrage, have 150 DOs. Not only that, Sukkur Barrage’s command area had been shifted to Kotri Barrage but it got no additional water, he claimed. Figures about DOs in other canals taking off from Sukkur, Kotri and Guddu were not immediately available. According to SAB, distributaries and canals in the province are being encroached and facing destruction. SAB demanded equipping all water channels with tail gauges, standard equipment in the British era, to measure water reaching different points. Tail gauges are no longer in use.

SAB also called for repairing regulators many of which had almost collapsed. It was pointed out that in case of floods, water discharged by Sukkur Barrage could not flow under Larkana – Khairpur and Dadu – Moro bridges.