President Pervez Musharraf has asked the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, Pakistan Steel Mills, as well as the city and Sindh governments to install desalination and power generation plants all over the metropolis.
He was speaking as chief guest at the formal inauguration of the DHA water desalination and power generation plant and ground breaking ceremony of Phase-II of the project here on Monday. He had performed the groundbreaking of this very project three-and-a-half years ago. The President termed the inauguration of such a project as a very important occasion.
He asked the other organisations to emulate such an example of installing such plants for generating electricity and provision of clean drinking water. The President said he considers such projects essential from all points of view. He stated that this was also a good example of public-private sector cooperation towards alleviation of the problems of water and power, which are the two essential elements of the needs of the country.
President Musharraf said the government has emphasised on these two areas during the past six to seven years. He pointed out that one would be surprised to know that Pakistan was surplus of 4,000 MW of electricity in the year 2001 and was also surplus in gas and did not require any gas or electricity. On the average growth rate at that time the electricity requirement of the country was adequate up to year 2010.
He pointed out that in the year 2001 when he had met with the then Iranian President Khatemi in Tehran, and he (Khatemi) proposed the gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan, his (Musharraf''s) reply was that unless India joins in Pakistan does not required that gas.
Musharraf pointed out that this was the situation in the year 2001. However, beyond 2002 and 2003 the rapid industrial growth (in double figures all through) in our country as well as its economic growth (at about seven percent per annum) enhanced manifold the requirement of energy.
Therefore, he added, we need to generate power from all sources available to us in Pakistan, less oil, which obviously is so expensive. We are looking at energy generation from water-hydroelectricity, which is mid-term and long-term. We are looking at energy generation from gas, through nuclear energy, through coal and would be putting the Thar coal project on a fast track as well as also looking to alternate sources of energy.
The President pointed out that to meet the challenge of short-and mid-term which is up to 2010-11, we have to meet the challenge of rapid growth through additional gas. Therefore, he added, we are trying to get the gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and also electricity from Iran.
Earlier, in his address of welcome the Administrator of DHA, Brigadier Kamran Aziz Qazi, said this project is the first undertaking of its kind in Pakistan wherein both desalination and power generation have been undertaken. He said the project is structured on commercial basis with DHA having 26 percent shares and it has cost DHA nearly dollars 115 million.
Brigadier Kamran pointed out that the plant has a guaranteed life of 30 years and that it is capable of currently producing 90 MW of power and three million gallons of water per day. He further informed that the extension of this project is on the anvil.
The DHA Administrator also informed that the long awaited development of Phase 8 is underway on a large scale and is likely to be completed in the next 36 to 48 months. Waqas Mohsin of the DHA Cogen Limited also spoke on this very occasion.
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf asked the DHA authorities that there should not be any construction between the McDonald''s and the Village Restaurant on the Clifton beach here. The President further pointed out that this is a recreation area for the people of Karachi. This announcement was welcomed by a long applause on the part of the audience.
Comments
Comments are closed.