Bijli Aana

Pakistan has an electricity problem. It is not because supply is so low, or that they are unable to deliver the electricity it is because people steal it and do not pay for what they use. It is such a problem in fact that almost every two hours during the day the electricity is shut off for two hours. That means the electricity is on about only half the time. The kicker is, those who do pay for it, have to pay a lot for it to make up for those stealing it.  

Some power lines at a park in Hyderabad

            So practically speaking you need to make sure that you have backup lights. Having a flashlight is always handy; sometimes you will have to use candles. Interesting enough, because of the way Pakistan has been operating its power for such a long time many Pakistanis have learned to adapt to it. It is not uncommon and very annoying to hear generators run throughout the day and night. There is also UPSs, which is not the United Postal Service, but rather Uninterruptable Power Supply. These are battery backups that allow continuous power after the main power has been shut off. Usually the UPSs are small and can only run a few lights, a computer, and possibly a fridge. I learnt the hard way that our UPS couldn’t handle anything with elements in it or bigger appliances: Washing machine, nope; kettle, nope; iron or blow dryer, no Megan. At least all the stoves I have seen are natural gas powered.

            But wait, lack of CNG is another problem in Pakistan, thanks to the power continually going out. Huge industries are constantly looking for alternative power sources, and when the government started to promote CNG (compressed natural gas) as a cheap and clean alternative to fuel cars, the industries thought it would be a great cheap alternative to continue running their factories. So now there is a CNG shortage! As I mentioned in an earlier post, on certain days vehicles cannot fuel up on CNG, and sometimes peoples stoves or hot water tanks will not have enough gas to run.

            It all stems from corruption in the government, the government not able to reinforce laws and make people pay their power bills and so much of the country is run off bribes that the people who should be getting the money to keep the power on, do not get it. It is a big issue that has been around for years and does not look like it will be going away anytime soon. Thus, when the power comes on people exclaim in excitement, “Bijli Aana!,” which roughly translated in English is “electricity coming”