Power outage increases level of anxiety

Affecting the work schedule of citizens, power outage has increased the level of anxiety causing uneasiness during sleeping hours, said Dr Arif Jehangir, Physician and Surgeon. Besides affecting industrial and commercial activities across the country, prolonged loadshedding has deprived the citizens of sound health and calmness.
The citizens are experiencing power failures for up to 18 hours due to which young and children are facing physical as well as mental stress besides mosquito bite related diseases, Dr Arif said while talking to a private TV channel. He said frequent power shutdowns in the evening and night spread malaria at a greater scale. And people are also complaining of muscles pull and continuous headache.
Young and children all are suffering from diseases like fever. Besides physical ailments, most of the patients are facing depression due to fatigue and uncomfortable sleep. Dr Arif said it is essential for good health to sleep from 7 to 8 hours at night. The country is facing shortage of 4500 Mega Watt electricity due to shortfall in Hydel and thermal power generations. It was expected that loadshedding will be reduced to an extent with decrease in temperature.
But the duration of loadshedding has extended up to 18 hours in various cities. According to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), the electricity crisis is intensifying due to the shortage of water in Tarbela and Mangla Dam.
In Tarbela Dam, the water level has reduced from 1 lakh cusecs to 30,000 cusecs. However, in Mangla Dam it is reduced from 39,000 cusecs to 29,000 cusecs. Qadirpur Gas Field has stopped gas supply to three thermal power generation plants due to its annual audit, which is another reason of power shortage. The repair of power generation machines is also a reason of decrease in production of 1000 Mega Watt electricity. All these factors have created 445 Mega Watt shortage in power supply.
Despite increasing demand for electricity, not even a single power generation plant has been installed in the last 10 years. According to Pepco, the country would face the power crisis till 2009 while 1200 Mega Watt electricity will be produced by installing new power plants.
According to Energy Management and Conservation Director General, water will be released from water reservoirs till October 20. Besides ensuring provision of gas to power plants, he assured that the repair of machines producing electricity would be completed soon to bring to an end the ongoing power crisis.