LAHORE: Population density (Persons/Unit area) in the power sector Pakistan has increased to 231.99 in 2019 from 45.84 in 1995. As Population density increases, according to Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) sources, energy usage per unit area also increases.
Hence, they said, the existing power supply system feeding to a particular area becomes under-rated after some time, which contributes badly to the energy crisis. The fast increase in population is making the energy sector in Pakistan more stagnant, they added.
It may be noted that Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world which has a population of 270.8 million according to 2017 census. The population is rising at a growth rate of 2.4% per annum. Sources have further pointed out that the growing urbanization in Pakistan is not only putting administrative as well as an economic burden on the state but also severing the energy crisis in Pakistan.
According to sources, urbanization has reached to around 38 per cent at present from 22 per cent in 1960 because of the fact that the lifestyle of people in the urban areas is better than rural areas. When urbanization is increasing in a country, then its energy requirements are also increasing. Therefore, sources said that per-capita energy consumption has also increased in urbanized areas to around 500 kWh from around 100 kWh in 1971.
PEPCO sources apprehended that Pakistan is facing problem to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in industrial sectors due to the energy crisis. There is a continuous decline in the existing number of industries in Pakistan. Maximum industries have been shifted in foreign, where cheap and reliable energy supply is available, they added. Sources said the energy crisis in Pakistan also has reduced the active production hours of industries and raised the cost of production also. In nutshell, they said, the energy crisis is one of the leading causes of stagnant economic growth of the country.
Moreover, sources said that the climate change is another threat to the energy security, which is altering the energy demand patterns and intensities. They said Pakistan is 7th most vulnerable country to climate change.
The worsening climate of Pakistan is increasing energy demand. The energy shortfall increases in hot climate conditions like heat waves when energy demand for cooling purposes increases. This situation was creating unrest and agitation in society, they asserted.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
Comments
Comments are closed.