Pakistan Within 3 Yrs. Of Losing Most Hydro Capacity - But It's OK; They'll Buy Australian Coal

[hatrack]

After Pakistan's extensive hydroelectric power resources dried up in 2008, Australian coal was marketed to satisfy the growing power consumption of a burgeoning population. Think it's a stretch to attribute Pakistan's constant power troubles to climate change? Last year thousands died from record flooding, after roasting in record high temperatures - 53.5°C (128.3°F).)

Three years on from finding power reservoirs dead-empty, Pakistan's daily "load shedding" problem has worsened because of...well there's plenty of blame to go around.

International water rights squabbling will make hydro-power recovery even more difficult. Evidence: China built a dam on the head water's of the Indus River, not even bothering to tell Pakistan first.

Industrial productivity falling.
As coverage in the Asia Times indicates, Pakistani factories are closing from the lack of reliable electric power: "Almost 800 units of a total of around 2,000 factories in Punjab province have closed down and many more are likely to be shut," Sheikh Abdul Qayyum, former head of the Faisalabad chamber of commerce, said this week, Agence France-Presse reported. "Around 500,000 workers lost their jobs in the province - about 100,000 in Faisalabad alone due to the closure of the factories."

EDIT

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/as-pakistan-powers-down-protests-mount.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehugger%2Fbusiness-politics+%28Business+%26+Politics%29

[Springer9]

1. A guy I know living in Abbottablad PK recently messaged

"Wow, just SEVEN more years to go till we get uninterrupted electricity? I can't wait."

That's the town where Osama was killed. It's deep in a valley and isn't conducive to solar or pinwheels for power. Maybe safe, clean and reliable nuclear might be an option, but with the stability of the political situation I don't think so. Looks like coal is the answer.

Of course we can sit here in our ivory towers and tell these people how to run their lives but I don't think they're interested. They just want to survive and thrive.

http://thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=17726