All successive governments, since our adulthood, have been giving us hopes of a better tomorrow. Years have gone by, we have grown old and still keep living on the hopes that our governments promise us. This is how another generation will pass, on hopes for the next.
Almost daily, we wake up to find a newspaper story that the prime minister or his adviser or his minister are promising that the electricity situation will improve in 2015 or 2030. That is giving us hope to live for. They do not tell us what will happen tomorrow, or at least this summer. They want us to live on hopes.
KESC fiddles as the city sizzles. Power outage and unannounced load shedding in Karachi began the day the mercury started to rise. The already-sold KESC remains indifferent to public woes, protests mount, industries' losses multiply and expensive household appliances are damaged. One household in a neighbourhood suffered with a burnt up computer, refrigerator and air conditioner, all in one month. Widespread water scarcity has been reported due to power disruption, but they are giving us the hope that things will be well under control in 15 to 30 years from now when many alternate energy systems like windmill, coal-fired power and nuclear power are in place.
Three years ago, Karachi citizens were eagerly waiting for the Saudi group, Kanooz Al-watan, to take over the city's power utility and come to their rescue.
When the rumour was ripe that the Saudi group, Kanooz Al-watan, the successful bidder for KESC was no more interested in buying the utility, KESC chief Brigadier Saddozai gave us hope. At a public function in Korangi he announced that the handing over of the KESC would be completed by the first week of May 2004. The secretary Privatisation Commission, after coming back from Saudi Arabia also discounted the public and media suspicion as a rumour. They were giving us hopes.
The Privatisation Commission's hush-hush on the KESC transaction raised speculation that the Saudi group had backed out of the deal. Even two months after the successful bid, Kanooz Al-watan did not pay the Government of Pakistan the Rs 20.24 billion it was supposed to have. Secretary Privatisation Commission then dashed on to Saudi Arabia to persuade the group to honour their commitment. They knew that the deal was slipping out of their hand yet, they were giving us hope.
One senior official of the Privatisation Commission even told the media that Kanooz Al-watan had deposited the money. The official also said that issues like the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and the Government of Pakistan's guarantees need some clarifications, and these were the main hurdles in the handing-over, taking-over and the payment. Although for the knowledgeable public, that seemed to be over-simplification of a very complex issue.
Kanooz Al-watan finally backed out of the deal, they lost the earnest money of Rs 100 million, in dollars. To public perception, they preferred burning the finger than to self-immolate by taking-over the power utility.
After twists and turns, finally, Hassan Associates Consortium took over the utility. Tall claims gave us hopes. Whatever happened last year and what is happening this summer, all can see.
Hassan Associates Consortium built up hopes among the public, but are nowhere close to their aspiration. Out of twenty four hours, two-time load shedding of two hours each, tripping of power for four to five hours a day every time, for an hour account for another five hours. Low voltage for about ten to twelve hours all add up to about nineteen to twenty hours of no, or very little, electricity. Once again we have to live on hopes.
It is said Karachi's power need in the peak of summer is about 2200 MW. Against this demand, KESC's own production and Wapda's contribution account for 1700 MW, from IPP, KESC gets about 300MW and from Kanupp, about 55MW, these add up to 2055MW.
Mathematically speaking, these figures imply that there is a 15 to 20 percent gap between demand and supply. Therefore, out of 24 hours only 3 to 4 hours of loadshedding should be enough. Then why do citizens have to live and suffer without power for over 60 percent of the time in 24 hours.
Any sensible citizen can easily calculate these figures roughly, it may not be too accurate but enough to indicate what should happen and what is actually happening. But we are asked to survive on hopes.
According to a Greek mythological story Pandora was given a beautiful gift-box, not knowing of the contents, when Pandora opened the box she immediately realised the box contained all evil. Before she realised and closed the box, all evil flew out, except hope. That is what a Pakistani lives for to this day.