Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), in a landmark achievement, has electrified record number of villages during current fiscal year, which crossed the figure of 6,000 resulting in significant improvement in economic activities in rural areas of the country. According to information made available to Business Recorder here on Tuesday, total number of villages electrified by Wapda in 1999-2000 was only 1109, in 2000-01 these electrified villages were 1595, in 2001-02 these villages were 1699, in 2002-03 these were 2246 and in the whole year of 2003-04 the number reached 7193.
The number of electrified villages during first six months of current fiscal were 4005, however only in January this year, 993 more villages were electrified. In the months of February and March over 1000 villages were electrified, raising the figure of total electrified villages to over 6000.
It is believed that in total 10,000 villages will be electrified by Wapda in the current fiscal.
Senior officials in the Wapda's power wing told this scribe that over 90 percent villages in Sindh province had been electrified, while this ratio was 80 percent in Punjab, 78 percent in NWFP and over 25 percent in Balochistan.
"If Wapda goes on electrifying villages with present pace, the whole country will be electrified during next three to five years," they claimed.
Reports compiled by Wapda reveal that during first six months of current fiscal, Wapda has electrified 2267 villages in Punjab, 608 in Sindh, 693 in NWFP and 437 in Balochistan.
To a question regarding comparatively less number of electrification of villages in Balochistan, they said it was mainly because of heavy cost of village electrification in that province.
"We are also getting electricity from Iran to provide electricity in those areas of Balochistan, which are situated near Iranian boarder," they added.
When contacted, Chairman Wapda, Tariq Hamid said it was a matter of pride for him that maximum number of villages had been electrified across the country during the current fiscal, which would revolutionise the rural economy.
The supervision of elected representatives on Wapda officials at work in their respective areas also increased the pace of village electrification programme.
"Electrification of villages causes financial losses to Wapda, as it increases the number of subsidised consumers. But it is right of every Pakistani to get electricity and Wapda will keep on providing electricity to more and more villages," he vowed.
Representatives of growers are of the view that in drought-like condition, electrification of villages proved useful for growers, who used to face water shortage in such condition.
"Irrigation through tube-wells running on electricity is still much cheaper than the tube-wells running on diesel," said Muhammad Idrees, Chief Organiser Farmer Associates Pakistan (FAP).
Moreover, economic experts stated that electricity is a basic requirement for bringing economic revolution.