Powerless against the smog

The government’s declaration of victory against the menace of loadshedding is looking increasingly premature after a major breakdown  on Friday  led to more than 12 hours of power outages in Punjab and Balochistan. The power ministry blamed the collapse on the smog which has enveloped Lahore and other major cities in Punjab but that tell only part of the tale. Last month, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi presided over a review of power generation in the country and declared that supply was exceeding demand to such an extent that it was now time to gradually retire old power plants. The announcement was puzzling since it contradicted the government’s policy of the last few years to hire additional generation capacity. In total, the government has closed plants that produce a cumulative 4,250 MW. The likely impetus for the decision was the cost associated with generated power that goes unused – but this also defies normal international practice to produce excess power in case of emergencies. That emergency has now hit us and the state has been found wanting. The smog in Punjab led to the closure of all the nuclear power plants in Chasma and it could take up to three days to restore them. At least 17 stations in the province experienced major tripping and they too will be vulnerable as long as the smog persists. In total, power production was 6,000 MW below usual generation, underscoring the folly of shutting down power plants.

The reaction to the smog outbreak has shown that the government is looking to deflect responsibility and refuse to accept any blame. It has claimed that the smog is coming from India, leaving us with few available counter-measures. While it is true that the environmentally-ruinous crop stubble burning and emissions from coal power plants in India are contributing to the smog, the government’s own actions show that there is more to the story. Since the smog started, it has sealed 113 factories and fined 250 vehicles for not meeting environmental standards. The problem is that there is no confidence in the government’s ability to regulate emissions of toxins in times when we aren’t facing an immediate public health crisis. Lax enforcement has contributed to the problem and a few days of imposing fines and shuttering factories cannot compensate for years of negligence. As for the pollution from India, the smog shows the urgent need for environmental issues to be a major part of international diplomacy. Pollutants do not respect borders and a global effort is needed to regulate and reduce toxic emissions.