Mubarak Village getting power from wind mill

It was an excited moment for the dwellers of far-flung scenic Mubarak village in Keamari Town to see the long-cherished dream of having electricity in their village.
It was not Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) that was expanding its network to that remote village, but a windmill, installed by an NGO exploring the ample available wind in the area.
The story is not only confined to this village but numerous other coastal areas in Sindh and Balochistan, whose inhabitants are deprived of electricity, but thanks to ample wind available in these areas, that the lights are on there.
The information gathered suggests that there are over 125 windmills working in coastal areas from Mirpur Sakro to Mubarak village in Keamari Town as well as in coastal belt of Balochistan lightening the huts and houses of poor communities, mostly dependent on fishing.
The coastal areas, long deprived and neglected, have never remained on the priority list of the government as far as development is concerned and pathetic conditions in these areas reflect this fact. Along with the unavailability of other basic necessities of life, these areas have remained dark due to absence of electricity.
While the concerned agencies ignored these areas on the pretext of being located at a very long distance from the center of the city, no attention was paid to provide electricity through harnessing of power by wind generators over the years.
However, with the increased focus on alternative energy to meet the shortage of power in the country, some private organisations caught the idea to lighten these poor dwellings.
The wind energy has shown a growth rate of 45 percent world-wide and it is supposed to replace 10 percent of European Union's annual electricity production by conventional sources by year 2010.
While the population of coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan is meeting the energy demands from kerosene and firewood, wind energy is anticipated to provide them comforts of lighting with the help of turbines for small family/community as well as grid-connected energy through large turbines.
The National Industrial, Commercial & Educational Link (NICE-LINK), having the credit of installing windmills in different areas of the coastal belt with the latest in Mubarak village, demands more government attention to improve the living standards in addition to jobs for both skilled and non-skilled people of these areas.
NICE-LINK Secretary General S S Haider opines that 500 watts of electricity is enough for a humble dwelling giving about 10 energy saving bulbs and a small TV set of 14 inches with one or two small fans. The cost is about Rs 1,30,000 per system because the wind generator is imported at a very high price.
If the generator is manufactured in Pakistan, the whole set-up will cost about half the amount, but still for the poor man, it is a huge investment.
Haider says that manufacturing of wind generators is not a uphill task as there was a time when we used to import fans but now we are exporting best ceiling and table fans all over the world.
Praising the role of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) and the NGOs, he is of the view that they are contributing their share towards the national economic uplift through development of source of renewable and alternative energy.
He suggested that the government should encourage the local manufacturing of wind generators and solar sells.
"If we want to improve our conditions, we have to manufacture these items in the country to provide jobs to many people and bring the price within the reach of every needy consumer," Haider adds.