The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday proposed a ministry for development of alternate energy in Pakistan. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), staffed with around 100 people and a budget of mere 61.6 million leaves much to be desired, it said.
Inefficient state-run corporations are wasting up to 500 billion annually while billions are spent due to political consideration but development of alternate energy has remained a lowest priority, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW. We have yet to have an Alternate Energy Policy, he added.
Thirty-seven per cent Pakistanis have no grid connectivity while only 20 per cent have access to natural gas. Alternate energy is the only hope for around 15000 villages in that cannot be connected to the power system in the next two decades, he said.
He said that weak and understaffed AEDB is dependent on the decisions of many bureaucrats that cannot think beyond fossil fuels - coal, petroleum, and natural gas-that are finite resources.
Dr Murtaza Mughal said that surrounded by politics, bureaucracy, red tape, political appointments and influential oil and gas lobbies, the AEDB has become a symbolic institution despite efforts of few individuals who wants to make it a useful entity.
Therefore, he said, Pakistan needs a ministry for development of renewable energy to make proper use of its vast usable energy resources. It would improve our energy mix, reduce dependence on oil, save country from oil shocks and reduce environmental degradation, he said.
Oil import bill is projected to increase threefold in a decade leaving government with no funds to spend on social sector uplift, he warned.
Fossil-fuelled power plants and vehicles emit pollutants like sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, toxic chemicals, heavy metals like mercury, chromium, and arsenic which can result in heart disease, asthma, and other health problems, he said.
It is responsible for acidification of water resources, damage to aquatic life, leaf damage, and the production of smog. It releases carbon dioxide, which is one of the main greenhouse gases causing global warming, said Dr. Mughal.-PR
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