Power and Gas shortage in Pakistan
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are facing a shortfall of 200 million cubic feet a day.
Dunya News Report (Jibran Dost)
ISLAMABAD: Federal Petroleum Minister expressed that gas shortage in the country has grown up to 40 per cent of the total demand. On the other hand Pakistan is experiencing a power shortfall of about 4000 to 9000 MW per day.
Federal Minister Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stated that this year’s crisis is worse than last year’s. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company are unable to fill the gap between the supply and demand. He also added that the government is not in a position to solve the problem.
Severe gas crisis has spread across the country, where Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are facing a shortfall of 200 million cubic feet a day.
In response, the government has decided to take the decision of dedicating all gas production in provinces towards domestic consumers.
Faulty policies and no new gas discoveries in the country have led to a situation where each winter brings a crisis. Prioritising domestic consumers can pave the way for another faulty policy if it goes ahead.
According to petroleum minister, the crisis will be over next year as imported LNG from Qatar will fulfil the gap. However, the LNG deal with Qatar is already under questions over their share amongst provinces.
On the other hand, Iran is threatening legal action over the lack of movement on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline deal.
In several cities, people protested against gas shortage. Women came on the roads and streets holding kitchen utensils to protest. In Quetta, it has become a yearly routine for the locals to brave the extreme cold without gas to fire their heaters.
The citizens resorted to protest for expressing their anger in various cities of Punjab including Lahore where different areas - Iqbal Town, Baghbanpura, Harbanspura, Faisal Town and others – are experiencing low gas pressure and load shedding.
On the opposite side, power shortages in the country are at its worst stages. Urban areas suffer eight hours of power cuts while rural areas suffer 16 to 18 hours of power cuts. Many areas face water shortages due to load shedding.
Pakistan needs around 15,000 to 20,000 MW electricity per day, however, currently it is able to produce only 11,500 MW per day hence there is a shortfall of about 4000 to 9000 MW per day. Therefore it is not wrong to suggest that the shortfall is badly damaging the economic growth of the country.
In Pakistan, there has been an enormous increase in the demand of energy as a result of industrial development and population growth, compared to the enhancements in energy production. Therefore the supply of energy is falling behind the actual demand and because of that, crisis has emerged.
For years, the matter of balancing Pakistan’s supply against the demand for electricity has remained a largely unresolved matter. The country faces big challenges in altering its networks that are responsible for the supply of electricity. Electricity generation in Pakistan has shrunk by up to 50% in the recent years, primarily because Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is not well developed; rather, it is considered to be under- developed and poorly managed.
Protests against power shortages happen from time to time. Protestors block traffic, burn tires and chant slogan against WAPDA and the government.
