Energy - IUCN

7 . OPTIONS FOR ACTION
The energy sector has to play its role by providing the productive sectors of
Northern Areas economy with reliable and competitively priced energy. Northern
Areas has the lowest per capita energy consumption in the country. The area is not
connected with the national grid. Electric energy is generated through locally
constructed hydro electric power stations on various potential sites. Hundreds of
hydel potential sites have been identified on various tributaries of River Indus in a
ranking study completed in the year 1998 by WAPDA. A logical policy initiative to
facilitate implementation of the most promising projects needs to be evolved.
Implementation of hydel projects despite the fact that the energy is urgently
needed, has not been satisfactory due to low investment in energy sector in the past.
Due to limited availability of resources in public sector Development programme,
implementation of these urgently needed hydel projects can be assigned to private
investors. The Northern Areas Government/ administration is not adequately
equipped to effectively manage and monitor joint venture programmes in energy
sector. There is therefore a serious needy to raise its technical capacity.
M o re attractive policies must be developed for effective and encouraging
investment in energy sector development in Northern Areas. These policies should
give appropriate legislative cover to generate private investors confidence. More
attractive policy packages should be devised for implementation of the most
attractive potential projects needs to bridge the gap between supply and demand of
energy as short term measure.
Early implementation of these urgently needed most environmental friendly and
most promising projects shall provide sufficient energy for lighting, heating and
cooking. Thus the dependency of people on use of wood for heating and cooking
shall be reduced thereby minimizing cutting of forests in this already forests deficit
area. In the rural areas most of the time of woman folk is consumed in collection of
wood and extracting scanty bushes on hills, this practice in addition causes bad
health effect due to extra ordinary physical exertion. The time thus saved by the
women folk shall be consumed in other productive activities. Use of K-2 oil for
lighting and heating and cooking besides being costly is also dangerous to human
health. There is therefore an urgent need to take immediate steps for conservation
of all existing energy resources of NA and also augment the shortfall in energy
supply by implementing some of the most promising and urgently needed projects.
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7.1. Renewable Sources of Energy
Biomass is the main non-commercial renewable resource of energy supply for the
low income household in Northern Areas. The unbridled cutting of trees and
extraction of scanty bushes from farms, forests and hills coupled with rapid
population growth may pose serious environmental threat due to their extinction.
In order to conserve biomass resources, a number of steps need to be taken on
priority basis as under:-