Everybody knows and realises the havoc that acute shortage of water and power is doing to our country economy. There is a lot of questions but no definite answers, if some one answer nobody believes it. Everyday we read, watch and hear that Pakistan has enormous free God-given gifts, the wind ie the Gharo wind corridor, which can give us about 50,000 MGWT of electricity through windmills.
The sun, which can give us about 1kwt and more electricity when bestowing its light on 1sqm of our land. God has given us mountains of best available silicon, which can make solar cells like wallpaper to make our own electricity for our premises. Mountains at Shinkyari, Shangla, Mianwali, Quetta, etc are standing patiently and looking towards us for making a better use of their grandeur.
The Arabian Sea is restlessly bashing its head on the hidden lime hills and sandy shores of Karachi and waiting for us to install huge turbines under water to get sufficient power to remove our darkness and keep our wheel moving. The tremendous coal deposits of Thar are hiding their shining black faces in shame because we have not yet been able to take them out to enable them to brighten our economy.
But why it is so, what are the elements and who are the bad guys standing in our way like a stumbling block. Let me explain to you because we must now prepare a nation to be able to utilise its natural recourses. There is no way out but to proceed through research and clear the blockades in our way of progress. Dr Ata-ur-Rehman is constantly reminding that under the Arabian Sea waterbed, there is abundant methane gas resource sheet spread, lying and waiting for our explorers to harness and convert it into power of electricity.
Perhaps, an economic revival and progress movement is required and a nation-wide campaign is destined for that. Please be assured that nobody is going to bother for that until it become a strong collective protest like the one you saw at the restoration of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Why I say so because Muslims have closed the door of research and development for the last 100 years or more. As indicated in the beginning when the Quaid-e-Azam said that "Pakistan has enormous resources and you can take them for your progress, it was not rhetoric but a fact which, unfortunately, we have not yet discovered and explored.
Let us now start counting, Pakistan has ample resources of energy, minerals, precious stones, salts bio-diesel, vegetation, gases, wonderful historic and proven agriculture wealth and a gigantic canal system which, if properly looked after and harnessed, it can positively make Pakistan powerful and dignified.
You will see the selective strong and specific wind blowing on our coastal areas of Sindh. This coastal area is of about 1200kms, always windy and workable wind in those months when it is said that there is less wind or no wind. This wind may give us about 50,000MGWT of electricity.
Our coastal areas are blossoming with wonderful grass and natural plants, which carry and hold abundant oil in their fruits, which is called bio-diesel. These plants are very humble and no special care is required for them. The bio-diesel, which we can get from such plants like Arandi (castor oil seed), Sukh Chain (you can see these plants when you enter airport road) and Getropha is a common plantation in the coastal areas.
In civilised and developed world, which believes in research and development, they are driving their Mercedes cars with these bio-diesels. Come to Arabian Sea shore and see the restless waves of the Arabian Sea dying to provide you electrical power circled in their choppy wave curves.
Apart from the seafood treasure that the Arabian Sea is containing for you, you can desalinate the seawater and make it good for cultivation and even potable as Saudi Arabia has done from where you have twice imported wheat. All these voices that I am raising for you, cannot be strangulated by the ruling elite because upcoming generation is very much worried and wants to listen about the indication of hazards and the ways for the removing of hurdles for the clearance of their track.
Today research work is not considered worthy of attention. It is given the least encouragement. In our neighbouring country, India, and in Western countries, companies and institutions spend millions of dollars ie research and almost every possible source of energy and other progressive chapters of knowledge and technology is in progress.
Perhaps, the funny and dirty stories of our people in power, are presented having an idea in mind that people will forget their agony and laugh at the idiosyncrasies of our so-called elite, but it is not realised that it is not doing any good. It is only harbouring wrath and revengeful mindset, leading towards an atmosphere of civil war and bloody revolution. In this way, people, who are not happy with Pakistan, are very happy to watch what is happening in Pakistan today. Let us wish that our ruling elite comes to senses and does not undermine the situation. (The writer is founder secretary general of Nice Link Trust)