Essay :Energy Crisis

Now there is a serious Power Crisis in the ENTIRE country. Here in Islamabad, we are facing load-shedding up to 4-8 hours a day in urban areas (that is in Islamabad) and things are not improving. Initially the load-shedding was for 30 minutes after every 2 hours but since last week, they do it after every 1 hour during the day time and every 30 minutes after 5 PM (for 30 minutes mostly and 1 hour in between). The most irritating part of this load-shedding is that NO schedule whatsoever has been published for people to know and try to manage things in a better way. I was watching Geo and they were showing reports of rural areas of entire country where they are getting electricity for only 2-4 hours a day.
Effects:
It affects all sections of society, students (education), industry, agriculture, health (hospitals) - every aspect of society as we know it.The continuing power crisis has not only disrupted the daily lives and businesses of people but has also added to their miseries. It has impeded the growth of both small scale and large scale businesses. It would not be wrong to say that the frequent power breakdowns have brought both the domestic and social lives to a standstill. The shopping malls and the open markets that were once swamped by the customers are now dark and deserted.
Resources of electricity in pakistan:
As per following details power generation in Pakistan is 12641 mega watts. While 5117 mega watts power is under construction and pre feasibility stage.
Hub Power Company 1286 MW
Jamshoro Power Company 1054 MW
Lalpir & Pakgen Thermal Station 727 MW
Guddu Thermal Station 1049 MW
Kapco 1600 MW
Ghazi Barotha 1450 MW
Mangla 1000 MW
Tarbela 3478 MW
Warsak 243 MW
Chashma Dam 184 MW
Malakand Dam 22 MW
Dargai Dam 20 MW
Rasul Dam 20 MW
Nadipur Dam 13 MW
Shadipur Dam 14 MW
Chihoki Dam 14 MW
Renala Dam 1 MW
Chitral Dam 1 MW
Kuram Ghari Dam 4 MW
Jagran Dam 30 MW
Chashma Nuclear Power Complex 300 MW
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant 125 MW
Jhimpir Wind Power Plant 6 MW
Under Construction
Akhori Dam 600 MW (under consideration: in pre feasibility study stage)
Diamir Basha Dam 4500 MW (under construction, to be completed in 2018)
Gomal Zam Dam 17 MW (under construction, to be completed in 2017)
Conclusion:
It is, therefore, very clear from the above that Pakistan needs to aggressively pursue ways to increase its power-generating capacity. The best options available today are nuclear and coal, followed by wind and solar. Hydroelectricity can only be pursued after all environmental, ecological and geopolitical issues are settled with a consensus among all four provinces.
Pakistan needs to set up at least a dozen nuclear power plants, large coal fired plants, wind farms and solar plants in the next 10 years to generate about 20,000 MW of electricity. We need to invest at least a billion dollars a year in developing the infrastructure and establishing power plants using nuclear, coal, wind and solar technology. We need to cut back on non-development expenditures by at least one billion dollars a year to invest in energy needs.
Industrialisation around the world has taken place because of the abundance of reliable and cheap electrical power (infrastructure, human resource and government incentives follow). Reliable and cheap availability of electric power in Pakistan will lead to large-scale investment in industry, creation of jobs, elimination of unemployment and poverty, greater manufacturing and exports, trade surplus and the reduction of deficits. It will lead to a prosperous Pakistan
Effect:
An energy crisis is any great shortfall (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. It usually refers to the shortage of oil and additionally to electricity or other natural resources.
The crisis often has effects on the rest of the economy, with many recessions being caused by an energy crisis in some form. In particular, the production costs of electricity rise, which raises manufacturing costs.
For the consumer, the price of gasoline (petrol) and diesel for cars and other vehicles rises, leading to reduced consumer confidence and spending, higher transportation costs and general price rising.

Essay: Water Crisis in Pakistan

God has blessed Pakistan with abandoned water resources, with water flowing down the Himalayas and Karakorum heights, from the world’s largest glaciers, a free and unique bounty of nature for this land of alluvial plains. As a result of this natural resource, today we have the worlds marvelous and the largest irrigation system that irrigates over 16 million hectors of land, out of 34 million hectors of cultivable land available. But unfortunately as we all know that now a days our country is facing severe shortage of water. There are two main reasons, one natural due to prolong drought---which is beyond the control of a man, and the other due to the gross negligence in the development and mis-management of water resources.
Water reservoirs / capacities:-
Pakistan is having three basic reservoirs, namely mangla dam reservoir, Terbela dam reservoir and Chashma barrage reservoir. more small reservoirs like Warsak, Baran dam hub, Khanpur, Tanda, Rawal, Simly, Bakht khan Hamal lake, Mancher lake, Kinjhar lake and Chotiari lake Arealso included as small storage.
Gross capacity of 11.62 maf and a live storage capacity of 9.68 maf in terbela dam which has now reduce to 7.295 due to silting, in mangla dam presently storage capacity is 4.636 maf water actual capacity was 5.41 and chasma barrage capacity is also reduce from 0.717 to 0.435 maf.
UTILIZATION OF WATER
In Pakistan we utilize the water available to us for different purposes. The basic utilization is for irrigation and then used for power generation, drinking and also provided to some Industries.
Impact on economy / society
As I said earlier that agriculture is our backbone and the water flowing in the channels to the crops is its blood line—and if there is no or less water then we should be prepared for facing problems economically as well as socially. According to the estimates of federal government, the agriculture sector would suffer a loss of about Rs. 90 billion because of drought.
a) Less water means less agricultural yields and to fulfill the food requirements of the nation, we will be dependent on other countries.
(b) Raising livestock is the main source of livelihood of rural areas. It is also an important economic activity, which contributes 9.7% of gdp, will be affected due to shortage of water.
(c) Orchards of Pakistan bring home a healthy amount of foreign exchange, which can be affected due water shortage.
(d) Due to less production of main crops, which are wheat, cotton, sugar cane and rice, the Industries related to them will suffer adversely.
(e) Then due to drought and more dependency on ground water for irrigation, the water table will go down, and this will cause water constrains to the population.
(f) Less agricultural outputs will compel people to head towards urban areas for jobs, which will increase the unemployment further.
(g) The distribution of water is controlled from the center by irsa (Indus river system authority) as per 1991 agreement between the provinces. Now the shortage of water will cause disputes between the provinces, which may cause harm to the national integrity.
Recommendations
The national water strategy must be based upon two essential elements covering
• Water developments
• Water management
The water development strategy is largely based upon construction of new storage reservoirs where as the water management strategy will help in reducing the present losses
Water development
In this construction of following dams should start immediately:-
(a) Chasha dam
(b) Kalabagh dam
(c) Thal reservoir
(d) Raised Mangla dam
(e) Mirani dam
(f) Gomalzam dam
From these projects we shall be able to store additional 20maf of water.
Water management
1. Presently the losses occur due to seepage, infiltration and leakages etc. seepage results in water logging and these losses can be reduced or eliminated by lining the canals.
2. In addition, people should be educated to conserve water by cooperation.
3. Further more government should make laws on water conservation.
4. Use modern irrigation techniques, that are trickling, sprinkling etc.
5. Presently irrigation department has failed to stop the illegal theft and extraction; thus irrigation distribution system needs to be privatized through water user associations.
Conclusion
Implementation of the recommendations will enable the country to meet the challenges, and achieve the objectives of integrated, efficient, environmentally and financially sustainable development and management of limited water resources. At the same time it will enable us to utilize every drop of our water for our bright future.