Again Secretary Water and Power Muhammad Younas Dhaga has repeated that projects were underway including Thar Coal project to overcome power shortage in the country. He pointed out that China would provide financial assistance of $1.2 billion for establishing 660 MW coal power plant in Thar. This is an old plan and since its publication it has been criticised by many who understand that introducing this plan would damage the already damaged environment of Pakistan by adding to air pollution. At a time when the world is stopping to use coal for energy production because of the environmental hazards connected to the technology, Pakistan is turning a blind eye from this and is trying to implement these projects while selling them to the public as progress.
It is high time that the daft energy policy of this government is revised. Coal is no means for tackling the energy crisis but starting a concerted programme of upgrading electricity transmission lines network and minimising transmission losses would be a much better idea that would save us from pollution as well. There are other alternatives. Hydel energy, for example, is more environmentally friendly and a cheap source of power generation. A programme of constructing small and medium sized dams would help produce cheap energy and help water management in the country. Why is this government insisting on damaging our already damaged environment? Global warming and connected climate change is already hitting Pakistan more than other countries. We should not keep closing our eyes to this but adjust our policies accordingly.
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
Karachi
Most of the sites in the country suitable for medium dams have already been exploited and only a few are left, small dams cater only for the power and water needs of the localities in which they are built, 60 have already been built in the Potohar, we are irrigating only 53 million acres which barely meet our needs, while 22 million acres are lying barren, nothing short of a mega dam at the earliest will solve our problems.
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