Two news items have made headlines - the first extremely positive was to the effect that this time around the country is happily heading towards a bumper crop and the second that the ADB provides US $650 million to help rebuild the flood-damaged infrastructure.
The latter shows that the losses suffered during the mid-2010 are still to be taken care of. Relevant data further shows that housing, water and sanitation, health, education, communications and infrastructure in general are all still lacking. Delving into the matter, we see that the unprecedented floods of 2010, which according to statistics also broke the earlier record of 1929 came as a surprise for everyone. In December 2009 followed by January 2010, we saw extremely low rainfall in comparison to the earlier year.
Actually, precipitation was less by 30% on the national scale and a startling 98% less for the Punjab. There was no rainfall in Islamabad during this period. Thereafter, February and March 2010 proclaimed the arrival of drought conditions. The Met office pundits then declared that there would be normal conditions from April onwards, while the 38-year-old heat record was broke in Lahore and many other cities.
The same people started telling the public that mild floods may be seen in the summer, which was changed to high floods by early June 2010. Actually, it was this changing position that probably led the whole country to relax and just cater to the extensive heat around us. The situation in the power sector was not so. We at PEPCO, where I headed the organisation as MD, were mindful of all changes and were in touch with the Met authorities on an hourly basis through the National Power Control Center. Consequently, we were in a position to make whatever changes were needed in order to supply and quench the high demands spurned on account of the record-breaking heat.
We were also, somehow, able to serve the high agricultural tubewell demands, which in fact were nearly three times normal, because of the drought conditions. Though the public was not satisfied, Pepco was able to serve aptly considering the low extremely hydel capacity at its disposal. Furthermore, mid-June 2010 announcements of the Met department made it clear that super floods may be in the offing.
As most of the power system is overhead and susceptible to the vagaries of weather, Pepco quickly set up flood control centres through the length and breadth of the country. These flood control centers were required to be duly staffed and provided for with the materials needed to counter the negatives of the flood etc. A round-the-clock vigilance was also a part of this exercise. Understanding the requirements and also drawing upon the experience garnered during the earlier floods of 1973, 1976, 1979 and onwards, such equipment and materials were provided at all of these centers which are needed to mitigate any possible damages.
The best part was the one button or call away access to each of these centers by the managing director Pepco and the various CEOs of the discos. Also understanding the requirements for quick, controlled and planned shutdowns and the obligation for the subsequent fast track revival, mock exercises were conducted all over the country right from Khyber to Nooriabad in the south (whereafter KESC's jurisdiction starts). It is important to note that planned shutdowns assure the safety of equipment and life of the personnel. It also enhances the possibility of full revival once the waters recede from the particular area.
This is of extreme importance, when it relates to equipment like distribution and power transformers, control panels and power line communication equipment. Thereafter, right from the point the Met department informed the public about the huge swell of flood in the Gilgit-Baltistan area, the whole of Pepco system was ready to receive the floods.
Consequently, each mile of inroads made by the floods in the Indus and the Jehlum rivers were duly catered for. However, the spate in the Swat and Kabul rivers were surely beyond expectations. It did not even allow the shut power system to remain at its moorings and actually washed it all away.
When the full fury of the floods hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially the Swat and Malakand divisions, the damage to the infrastructure, including the power system were colossal. The initial damage to the system of Pesco (the Disco for the province) was considered to be above Rs 3.0 billion. As everything was submerged, it was thought that all the 2000 plus distribution transformers would have to be written-off eventually, although planned shutdowns had been taken-up in hand a few hours before the waters hit that particular area.
As all personnel were ready to counter the effects of the flood and were fully motivated to do so, a team of engineers and technical staff headed by an executive engineer were marooned in a bid to save an imperative transmission line from being washed away. In this marathon effort, unfortunately the brave executive engineer and his sub-engineer lost their lives, but the line was saved from being lost. Subsequently, within a week of the floodwater receding away, this imperative line started feeding the important towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Attock in Punjab.
The personnel of Fesco and Mepco were able to look after the system following the Indus river as the super floods crossed their respective areas of jurisdiction. Thereafter, the floods inundated the province of Sindh and the power system of Hesco. Here, special mention is made of the 220 KV Lodra grid station at Shikarpur, which was feeding the whole of western Sindh and the adjoining eastern part of Balochistan.
In fact, seventeen 132 KV and 66 KV grid station were being fed from this hub and on account of innovative engineering, this grid station was kept energised, even when it was under 5-6 feet of flood waters. This is the only such operation in the world and could only be undertaken because of the full time availability of Pepco's higher management and the technical prowess it had at its disposal.
Once true assessment was made for the whole system, it was considered that a loss of Rs 12.0 billion could have been sustained by the power system. However, it was thought that there were all the possibilities that the system could be reenergised within 7-15 days and that the losses could be minimised through innovative thought. Because of the fact that the flood control plan had already been put in place, while men and material were also available at hand and that too at the right places, indeed the country's power system was reenergised/rehabilitated within a fortnight and surely way head of any other utility and facility in the country.
The two power stations viz. 340 MW AES Lalpir and 340 MW AES Pakgen were also brought in service by the owners/operators in the least time because of the planned shutdown and the great help received from Pepco's Muzaffargarh thermal power station. In fact, the experience garnered earlier on at the Guddu power station during 2000 in wake of the flooding rains then was used here. Additionally, the transformer manufacturers in Pakistan were requested to pitch-in with their expertise in the reclamation of the hydrated transformation equipment at low costs.
Consequently, 5000 distribution transformers, which otherwise would have been required to be condemned, were reclaimed at a very low cost. All in all, the earlier damage estimates of Rs 12.0 billion or so was brought down to Rs 2.645 billion only, which too has been absorbed by Pepco itself and without waiting for the MLDAs to ever pay for the rehabilitation.
It is because of the advance flood control plans, implementation of the same, quick restoration of the system and the bounties of nature through the provision of the rich alluvial soil that agriculture was able to resurrect itself and now hopes for a bumper crop. However, the main reason for the current good news is surely the quick and timely restoration of the power system.
On the other hand, as the irrigation system, including canals/minors etc were badly hit and are still as it is, the main brunt for providing water for irrigation were the 2,50,000 tube-wells running on electricity. According to statistics, these tube-wells drew 21% more electricity from the Pepco grid in comparison to 2009 and this is what made the difference. Pepco's crises management during the floods of 2010 was probably the right way to manage the various crises we have to face.