Loadshedding
Loadshedding: the social impact
Abdul Majeed Abid
Saturday, June 01, 2013
From Print Edition
5427 27 20 0
The election fever that had gripped the country seems to be over. It has been replaced, sadly, by an unprecedented wave of loadshedding across the country. Major urban centres are facing the same amount of loadshedding that semi-urban and rural areas have suffered in the last few years. Loadshedding, coupled with a scorching heat wave has made life miserable for people who can’t afford generators.
The economic costs of loadshedding are well-known but the societal impact of loadshedding still needs to be investigated. The burgeoning class divide in Pakistan can be characterised by the means used by people to cope with the shortage of electricity. The rich can afford generators, while the middle class opts for UPS (uninterrupted power supply source) devices, while those who can’t afford either of these luxuries have nothing to turn to – and continue to suffer.
It is difficult to quantify the effect of loadshedding on students who have to study for exams that can potentially change their lives. It is also difficult to quantify the effect these power outages have on children who grew up during the last five years’ on those who are ill; on those visiting from other countries; or on people who can’t get proper sleep on a regular basis.
Would anyone risk their lives by boarding a plane whose pilot did not get enough sleep due to loadshedding or a surgeon who has not had proper rest in the last few hours? These undocumented problems that are a direct result of loadshedding are affecting our society as a whole. Unless some remedy is provided, the latent aggression in the society is bound to increase.
With rural areas getting access to electricity in the 1980s and the increased usage of electrical appliances in the last ten years – mainly due to the easily available instalment culture – the consumption of electricity has increased exponentially,
Abdul Majeed Abid
Saturday, June 01, 2013
From Print Edition
5427 27 20 0
The election fever that had gripped the country seems to be over. It has been replaced, sadly, by an unprecedented wave of loadshedding across the country. Major urban centres are facing the same amount of loadshedding that semi-urban and rural areas have suffered in the last few years. Loadshedding, coupled with a scorching heat wave has made life miserable for people who can’t afford generators.
The economic costs of loadshedding are well-known but the societal impact of loadshedding still needs to be investigated. The burgeoning class divide in Pakistan can be characterised by the means used by people to cope with the shortage of electricity. The rich can afford generators, while the middle class opts for UPS (uninterrupted power supply source) devices, while those who can’t afford either of these luxuries have nothing to turn to – and continue to suffer.
It is difficult to quantify the effect of loadshedding on students who have to study for exams that can potentially change their lives. It is also difficult to quantify the effect these power outages have on children who grew up during the last five years’ on those who are ill; on those visiting from other countries; or on people who can’t get proper sleep on a regular basis.
Would anyone risk their lives by boarding a plane whose pilot did not get enough sleep due to loadshedding or a surgeon who has not had proper rest in the last few hours? These undocumented problems that are a direct result of loadshedding are affecting our society as a whole. Unless some remedy is provided, the latent aggression in the society is bound to increase.
With rural areas getting access to electricity in the 1980s and the increased usage of electrical appliances in the last ten years – mainly due to the easily available instalment culture – the consumption of electricity has increased exponentially,