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Water shortages: Supplies hampered by power outages, depleted dam reserves

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RAWALPINDI: 

Residents of various localities in Rawalpindi are facing acute water shortages due to the depleted reserves of Rawal and Simly dams and power outages that have rendered almost all tube-wells dysfunctional.

Long queues were witnessed at water filtration plants on Wednesday as extensive load-shedding means residents have been left with fewer options to meet their daily requirements. Among other areas, Pirwadhai and Farooqia Colony were reported to be the worst affected.

“We have complained to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) about the water shortages,” said Afzal, a resident of Dheri Hasanabad.

In most areas, residents are being forced to purchase water tankers costing around Rs1,400.

“Our tube-well, which has been dysfunctional since last week, has not been repaired despite repeated demands,” said Iqbal, a resident of Satellite Town.

A Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) official requesting anonymity said the garrison city’s major water suppliers were dangerously low on reserves. “Simly Dam and Rawal Lake have only two months’ worth of water left, a situation that may worsen during dry weather periods,” he said. RCB Chief Executive Officer Rana Manzoor said that the board was doing its best to mitigate further shortages. “There is enough water in Khanpur Dam to provide for consumers in areas falling within the dam’s jurisdiction, but the RCB is trying to extend the coverage to all areas,” he said.

“We have asked the government not to install tube-wells, but doing so is clearly an easy way to deceive voters,” said Khan a local, adding that there were now 360 tube-wells in Rawalpindi, as compared to 1996 when there were only 96.

Khan said the twin cities would continue to suffer from droughts if long-term water projects were not implemented.

Wasa has resumed work on the previously abandoned overhead reservoirs projects in Dhoke Mangtal and Pirwadhai, which are aimed at providing drinking water to 50,000 Pirwadhai and Farooqia Colony residents, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2013.


India will do all in its power to promote Afghan stability

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NEW DELHI: India said Wednesday it will do all within its means to promote stability in Afghanistan after visiting President Hamid Karzai said he had given a military “wishlist” to the Indian government.

“We have a wishlist that we have put before the government of India,” Karzai told reporters in New Delhi, adding it was up to the Indian leadership to decide how much help it was willing to extend to Kabul.

India’s foreign ministry refused to detail what the “wishlist” contained but local media reports said it included light and heavy artillery, aircraft and small arms and ammunitions.

“The leaders agreed that both countries will work together and will do all within their means to promote stability and security in Afghanistan,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.

Karzai’s comments came after his office said last week that he would ask for “all kinds of assistance from India in order to strengthen our military and security institutions” during the high-level talks in the Indian capital.

Karzai held closed-door talks late Tuesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a separate meeting with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee on his two-day trip which ended on Wednesday.

India has been training a limited number of Afghan military officers for years at its military institutions, but has provided little weapons assistance except for some vehicles.

India’s support for Karzai is a reflection of its desire to ensure that the departure of the United States and other foreign forces in 2014 does not lead to the return of the radical Taliban to power in Kabul, analysts say.

In 2011, India and Afghanistan began a “strategic partnership” to deepen security and economic ties. But Indian activity in Afghanistan has sparked unease in neighbouring Pakistan which fears losing influence in Kabul.

A statement from Karzai’s office in Kabul on Wednesday sought to underline its neighbourly relations with both India and Pakistan while ruling out inviting Indian troops to the country after the US pullout.

“Afghanistan is a sovereign country and… has the right to choose its own friends. Pakistan is a neighbour, it is a close neighbour and the people of Pakistan have given Afghans refuge for 30 years,” the statement said.

“India is a traditional friend and ally, particularly so over the last 10 years,” the Afghan statement added.


PPP moves closer to finalising power sharing formula in Sindh

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which won a majority of seats in Sindh, has finalised a power sharing formula for forming a coalition government in the province along with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Per details from sources with knowledge of the development, the incoming government will have a relatively smaller cabinet as compared to the outgoing government which had 50 cabinet members. The number of advisers will also be limited to five.

Sources added that the new government will have between 18 to 19 member cabinet. Of these the PPP will retain up to 11 ministries. The coalition partner MQM will be offered up to seven slots including minister portfolios and advisory positions.

The PPP had said that after 18th amendment, they will field a smaller cabinet. The 18th amendment stipulates that a cabinet has to be 11 per cent of the total strength of the assembly.

The party has also decided to settle upon bringing back Syed Qaim Ali Shah for a record third term as the Sindh chief minister. It is undecided on whether former Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro will return for a second successive term or will the Speaker duties be handed to Mir Hazar Bijrani. Either of them will be a senior minister.

Among the names that have been proposed for the PPP cabinet will be Agha Siraj Durrani, Owais Muzzaffar, Sharmeela Farooqui (reserve seat for women), Makhdoom Rafiqueuz Zaman (former district nazim Hyderabad), Jam Mehtab Dahar, Hasnain Mirza, Sharjeel Memon, and Manzoor Wasan.

Durrani, while talking to The Express Tribune said that negotiations with the MQM are expected to begin in a couple of days and that the PPP wanted to take them on board. “I am 100% sure MQM will join us.”

The finer details of the plan will be ironed out once President Asif Ali Zardari comes to Karachi later in the week.


Delicate balance: Pakhtuns expect fair share of power in Balochistan

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ISLAMABAD: 

One of the critical issues that the next provincial set-up in Balochistan will have to face in the coming days is the appointment of an ethnic Pakhtun as governor, according to the central general secretary of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Akram Shah.

“Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, along with the National Party (NP) and PkMAP, which has emerged as the largest Pakhtun political party in May 11 elections, will have to address many critical issues including the fair division of political and administrative power amongst the two largest ethnic groups: Baloch and Pakhtuns,” Shah told The Express Tribune.

Constituting half the population of the province, Pakhtuns expect one of the top positions—either governor or chief minister– to be handed to a person representing their community, he said.

“We demand an equal share with Baloch people in all the political and administrative matters of the provincial government,” Shah said. Other ethnic groups should also be given their due share, according to him.

One of the strong contenders for the office of chief minister of Balochistan, Nawabzada Jangayz Marri from PML-N, admitted that all ethnic groups should be given a fair chance to represent the province. “PML-N will recognise the rights of Pakhtuns in power sharing,” Jangayz said, adding that other marginalised ethnic groups will also get justice.

The PML-N leadership seems to have struck off the name of its provincial party president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri’s from those vying for the post of chief minister. The move comes after reservations were expressed by the PkMAP and NP leaders during their recent meeting with Shahbaz Sharif in Quetta.

With Zehri out of the race, Jangayz Marri and Jan Muhammad Jamali are jockeying for support within the party to clinch the chief minister’s post. While Jan Jamali does not have the backing of his party’s top leadership, his close contacts with the establishment and civil bureaucracy may help him land one of two top offices in Balochistan.

NP president Dr Abdul Malik is another potential aspirant for the top slot of the province. He is backed by the PkMAP and his own party against the PML-N contenders.

Malik may enjoy a fair reputation of being highly credible but his chances to get a heads up from PML-N are bleak. Accepting a contender from a junior coalition partner party may cause unrest among the PML-N’s provincial legislatures. Another potential hurdle for Malik could be the fact that he is not a tribal chief.

PkMAP and NP might not be the only reasons that Zehri is out of the race for the provincial top slot. Sources reveal that being a bitter enemy of Sardar Akhtar Mengal, who is chief of his own faction of Balochistan National Party, Zehri’s appointment as chief minister could torpedo Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to bring Akhtar Mengal and other Baloch nationalist parties into the mainstream.

However, by installing Jangayz Marri, the elder son of Baloch separatist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, as chief minister Nawaz Sharif could reach out to the Baloch militants including his two exiled younger brothers for peace talks.

Political observers say that Jangayz , with his influential family background, could prevail upon Baloch militants including his brothers and bring peace to the province. He could also be acceptable for Akhtar Mengal, whose exiled younger brother, Javed Mengal is leading a banned militant outfit known as Lashkar-e-Balochistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2013.


Load shedding: Power and water shortages at public hospitals

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LAHORE: 

Doctors have demanded that load-shedding at public hospitals be ended as power outages are delaying important operations and restricting the provision of medical services to the poor.

Dozens of scheduled operations at public hospitals have had to be delayed in the last few days, including some 60 at Jinnah Hospital alone.

“At Jinnah Hospital there was no electricity for eight hours on Sunday and for one hour on Monday,” said Dr Javaid Aheer, president of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab.

“The generators could supply electricity to just a few areas while several departments remained without electricity. Dozens of serious operations were cancelled and postponed as there was no electricity at the hospital. There wasn’t a drop of water in the operation theatres and hostels as well,” said Dr Aheer.

He said that doctors and patients had protested at the medical superintendent’s office. “The YDA demands that hospitals be provided with an uninterrupted supply of electricity. If the CM’s Secretariat and Governor’ House can be declared load shedding free zones, then why can’t hospitals where poor patients are being treated?”

The YDA Punjab is to stage a protest against the load shedding at Jinnah Hospital on Tuesday.

Another doctor at Jinnah’s Hospital said that patients on ventilators were particularly vulnerable. “When the electricity goes off, it could result in their deaths,” said Dr Shabbir Chaudhry. “The delaying of operations is another serious consequence. This needs to be addressed immediately.”

He said that the Lahore High Court had ordered that there should be no load shedding at public hospitals and the Lahore Electricity Supply Company should follow the order.

At the Punjab Dental Hospital, the only dental hospital in Lahore, electricity outages have meant that they have been unable to sterilise medical equipment, said a doctor there. “The hospital is open for six hours a day. For three hours, there is no light, due to which hundreds of patients are being denied treatment.”

A doctor at Mayo Hospital, the largest public hospital in the country, said long power outages had resulted in many operations being delayed, as well as a water shortage. “There is an acute shortage of water even in operation theatres. How can you run hospitals this way?”

There are similar problems at Lady Willingdon Hospital. “There has been no water in the washrooms for two days,” a doctor there said. “The fans and air conditioners are not working. A doctor got gastroenteritis yesterday after she ate food from the canteen. The authorities must act at once or the situations could get worse and affect many more patients.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.


Water, power ministers say they can’t end loadshedding till prices are raised

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ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani ministers in charge of water and power explained what can be done to end power cuts of up to 20 hours a day in parts of the country enduring temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and above – absolutely nothing, it seems, except raise prices.

The power shortages have sparked violent protests and crippled key industries, costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in a country already beset by high unemployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty and a Taliban insurgency.

The loadshedding means many families cannot pump water, let alone run air-conditioners, with a disastrous knock-on effect on health and domestic life.

Caretaker Ministers Musadiq Malik and Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui “expressed their inability to overcome the crisis”, the Daily Times quoted them as telling a news conference in Lahore, where the temperature was 40 C on Monday.

“They have termed financial constraints as a major, and incompetence as a minor, hurdle in resolving the issue,” the newspaper said.

“Presenting the realistic picture, the ministers announced that they were going to increase the price of electricity and gas for all sectors.”

They gave no details but said the problem would get worse before it gets better.


Flower power: Floral society meeting

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ISLAMABAD: 

The Floral Arts Society (FAS) Islamabad held their monthly meeting at Abbottabad on Sunday.

They discussed salient features of contemporary flower arrangement and taking care of rare trees and plants. Sobia Riaz, a member demonstrated contemporary flower arrangement.

She assembled 10 arrangements in one hour and apprised the participants about the basic and advance techniques of flower arrangement.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.


Table tennis: Chinese quartet power into last 16

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PARIS: 

Reigning champion Zhang Jike of China eased through to the last 16 of the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris after seeing off compatriot Fan Zhendong.

The fourth seed and Olympic title-holder cruised to an 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 victory over world number 38 Fan to set up a fourth-round meeting with Robert Gardos of Austria.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Xu Xin made short work of Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia, sweeping aside his opponent 11-8, 11-0, 11-8, 11-7 to earn another shot at Portuguese opposition in the form of Marcos Freitas in the next round.

Second seed Ma Long beat Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic 11-6, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8, while 2009 champion Wang Hao moved comfortably through to round four after coasting past Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan 11-7, 11-5, 11-2, 10-12, 11-3.

Top European player Timo Boll of Germany fended off a gritty display from Sweden’s Jens Lundqvist, 61 places below him in the rankings, to advance 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8.

“My opponent played quite well today. I had a feeling I was in good shape then suddenly it was two games all,” said Boll. “I didn’t feel that I had played badly, but I think in the end I deservedly won. I played at a good level.

“It’s not easy for me to find my rhythm in the first rounds. I’m in good form and I’m fit, so I hope I can go further.”

London 2012 bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov joined compatriot Boll in the next round after defeating Hong Kong’s Tang Peng.

Japan’s Kenta Matsudaira followed up Thursday’s shock victory over veteran Chinese star Ma Lin by battling past Chiang Hung-Chieh, but there was better news for Chinese Taipei as sixth-ranked Chuang Chih-Yuan stayed in the hunt after knocking out South Korean Cho Eonrae.

Earlier, defending women’s champion Ding Ning cruised into the quarter-finals with a 11-8, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 whitewash of South Korea’s Park Seonghye.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.


Fuel shortages: Petroleum ministry warns of more power cuts in summer months

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ISLAMABAD: 

As Pakistan perseveres through one of the worst energy crises in its history, the Ministry of Petroleum has warned that power shortages may worsen in the summer season, troubling those who wish for some respite in the near future. The ministry cites a severe shortage of fuel oil for the impending shortfall, as suppliers move to cut off provisions due to the nonpayment of past dues.

Due to failures in effectively managing energy supply and demand, Pakistanis currently face 12-18 hours of load-shedding on a daily basis in most parts of the country.

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) – the nation’s largest oil marketing company – has reportedly been striving to make sure that the supply chain for ‘white oil’ is not be affected by the liquidity crisis. However, nonpayment of dues by the power sector has started affecting the supply chain despite its efforts.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the Ministry of Petroleum secretary, in a letter sent to the Ministry of Water and Power on May 10, categorically stated that PSO’s ability to maintain uninterrupted supply of fuel to the power sector has been seriously compromised due to the nonpayment of its dues.

“This is likely to result in a severe shortage of fuel oil in the summer months, as PSO will not be able to import an adequate quantity due to its default [on commitments] with international and local banks,” the petroleum secretary had said. He explained the situation was quite critical and needed immediate and personal attention from the Ministry of Water and Power. He had urgently requested immediate release of funds to save PSO from any further delinquencies.

The petroleum secretary revealed that the Finance Division had released Rs10 billion for PSO, but two power plants – Hubco and Kapco – had deducted Rs1.4 billion from the amount released.

“Timely release of funds is absolutely essential for the retirement of letters of credit and maintaining steady supplies of fuel,” he reiterated. The Ministry of Petroleum had been persistently requesting the Ministry of Water and Power and the Ministry of Finance to release Rs8.5 billion for the payment of a letter of credit due on May 10, and another Rs5.6 billion for the payment of a letter of credit due on May 13. “So far, PSO has been financing its fuel oil letter of credits from white oil receipts, which is resultantly affecting the white oil supply chain,” he said.

Election arrangements

For the three days from May 10 to May 12, PSO supplied 19,000 tons of oil daily to overcome the power crisis, in line with directives issued by the interim prime minister in preparation for election day.

The petroleum secretary also revealed that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) had provided 152 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas to four independent power producers – Orient, Saif, Sapphire and Halmore – in the light of decisions taken in a meeting held at the Ministry of Finance on May 4. In addition to that, SNGPL also provided 42mmcfd gas to Rousch Power after the receipt of Rs1 billion.

“Four independent power producers who are cash customers – AES Lalpir, Pakgen, Atlas and KEL – were supplied oil on credit following the decisions taken in the meeting held in the Ministry of Finance,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.

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Analysis: Balochistan demands fairness, no power politics

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Nawaz Sharif did well to acknowledge the PTI’s mandate in KP, but unlike KP, things in Balochistan are still murky and mired in typical power games. The PML-N has nominated Sardar Sanaullah Zehri for the chief ministership following an influx of independents.

The issue at hand is whether Nawaz Sharif will fill his party with remnants of the Raisani government and the Musharraf era. All of them acted as robber barons, adding billions to their personal kitties.

Will the Sharifs gloss over the role of those who plundered Balochistan’s resources? Will they opt for a strong chief minister who can conduct across-the-board accountability or will they leave the province to the vultures?

What the Sharifs and their allies need to realise is that the Raisani government lorded over massive funds in five years – from 45 billion in 2008 to 172 billion earmarked during 2012-13 from the central pool. Where did the quadrupled amount of funds go?

Do they want to co-opt people into the government who are remnants of the past or do they really mean business? If the latter then they need to put in place a government that enjoys public confidence and has the vigour and will to take Balochistan’s multiple crises head-on.

One hopes that the PML-N leadership realises that Balochistan has long been plagued by conflict, neglect, and political expedience. The latest election, too, reflects the state of neglect and political opportunism.

Successive federal governments made things worse by refusing to grant Balochistan the economic and political rights it deserves. It made matters worse by overlooking the brazen appropriation of state resources by Raisani and co, which increased disparity. The fiercely independent Baloch Sardars have a tradition of resisting state interference in order to protect their own advantages, while the mass of the population expresses their grievances by a growing support for nationalism and separatism. The absence of quick and inexpensive dispute-resolution mechanisms, the continued neglect of the welfare of the general public, poor governance, and growing religious extremism all add to the tensions, as does the persistent mishandling of these issues by governments and the military.

The grievances of the Baloch people are legitimate and manifold, with their principal complaint being the non-fulfillment of the promise of provincial autonomy granted by the 1973 Constitution.

Islamabad’s martial handling of outbreaks of insurgency added fuel to the fire, increasing Baloch disaffection. Action against Baloch nationalists is increasingly seen as imperialism, especially since the boycott of the elections by mainstream Baloch nationalists in February 2008. Most Baloch are resentful of the presence of the military and tend to see the army as a tool of suppression.

Election 2013 also has thrown up the issue of representation; in PB-41 (Awaran), for instance, the turnout was hardly 1.18 per cent, giving Abdul Judoos Bizenjo of the Pakistan Muslim League the victory with only 544 votes. Total votes cast in a constituency of 57,666 registered votes stood at 672. Surprisingly, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the unofficial results, instead of deciding to order a re-polling.

This raises an extremely serious question on the legitimacy of the winner. Can a person with less than one percent of the registered votes represent that constituency? One would hope that the Sharifs forego personal or party interests in favour of a broad-based government comprising persons of integrity and also ensure fair representation in the provincial assembly by taking a critical look at, at least, some of the constituencies.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.