By Qasim Ali; Photo Credit Ajaz Ali
The people of Gojal will have to wait nobody knows for how long but they have to be calm, control their nerves and wait for the power project completion.
HunzaNews,July 23,2014
Power and energy crisis has always been an issue in Pakistan where every sector is affected by the load shedding of electricity. The same is also happening in Gilgit-Baltistan where water is a major source for generating electricity. The governments have failed to utilize the water of Gilgit-Baltistan to overcome the energy crisis in the so called province.
Gojal is a remote valley at the extreme north of Pakistan with a population around 25,000 people. There is only one hydro power project which is situated at Khyber village. The project is of 1 Mega Watt and due to the old turbines and power generation system the project produces electricity around 7 KWs. Gojal being a business corridor is overcrowded by businessmen from Pakistan and China which increases the consumption of electricity. Another factor is the CRBC which is operating in the area to rebuild the KKH has built different camps and work stations in different villages which doubles the load and in result the public faces the consequences in terms of load shedding.
Another project which is started since 2009 in Misgar village is still not completed. Sources say that the Misgar Hydro power project will be completed in two stages. The first stage was of 2MW which was started around 2009. The government of Gilgit-Baltistan became very generous by adding another 1MW to the project in the second phase which will in total produce 3MW electricity. The stone breaking ceremony of the second phase was inaugurated by Mr. Wazir Baig the speaker of Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly during his recent visit in July 2014. The government has set a target that by the end of 2015 the Misgar Hydro Power Project will be completed.
The public does not know where is the lacking? Is it within the government or with the contractors that from last 5 years the project is never ending? Nobody knows how long it will take for the completion that will overcome the load shedding process in Gojal.
Source Mountaintv
