It is the first time that Ehsanullah, a 46-year-old resident of the Pishin district of Balochistan, is availing 24-hour electricity and gas facilities without any power outages.

Some months back, he saw a video story of Lok Sujag on digital and social media about an eco-friendly biogas plant of Syed Khan Nasir, a schoolteacher in Loralai.

“I came to know that Syed Khan is running a biogas plant on the waste of two cows, generating more than 1kg of gas daily. I thought of installing the same kind of plant as it is inexpensive and as we have four cows at home,” says Ehsanullah.

He decided to set up a relatively larger biogas plant. Meanwhile, he contacted Syed Khan Nasir and sought his help in setting up the plant.

“Nasir arrived from Loralai and helped us install the plant for free. Now we are getting two to three kilos of gas daily while production has improved during the summer season.”

Ehsanullah informs that they use biogas at home for cooking and making tea etc. However, gas production increased in the summer while it was used less than the winter. As a result, a lot of gas was wasted.

“We decided to use the surplus gas to generate electricity and bought a gas-powered generator from the market. Now the same biogas meets the cooking needs at home while electricity is also available 24/7 for free,” he says.

Due to biogas plant in the house, Ehsanullah neither waits for the government electric supply in the summer nor worries about fuel (coal, wood etc.) in winter.

Pakistan has been having an energy crisis for a long time. Hence, private companies installed power plants two or three decades ago, which boosted the country’s electricity production. However, the volume of circular debt in the power sector touched Rs26.3trn rupees in January this year.

The Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24 shows the country’s electricity generation (installed capacity) as 41,000MW, out of which the hydroelectricity proportion is 25.8pc, thermal (oil, coal and gas) electricity is 58.8pc and nuclear electricity is 8.6pc whereas alternative sources contribute 6.8pc to electricity generation.

The country’s maximum demand in summers remains 26,000MW (June this year). However, expensive fuel and circular debt for thermal electricity often cause a shortfall of up to 6,000MW.

Shakir Ali, an economist and professor at the University of Balochistan, informs Lok Sujag that electricity rates for domestic consumers have risen from Rs7.74 per unit (up to 100 units) to Rs42 per unit (above 500 units).

“The prices of petrol, gas and electricity have pushed the entire country towards inflation. Currently, rising inflation and low wages have made the payment of utility bills impossible for even the middle class.”

Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) spokesperson Muhammad Afzal confirms that insufficient electricity supply by the company due to electricity theft and non-payment of bills causes up to 20 hours of loadshedding in remote areas.

A report of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) in 2022-23 showed Qesco as one of the most unprofitable power companies in the country. It has a monthly loss of around Rs22bn while the recovery rate is only 37pc.

The condition of gas supply in the country is no different from electricity. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey, the country used a total of 3,258 mmcfd gas per day last year, of which liquified natural gas (imported) accounted for 631 mmcfd.

According to this report, the total gas used in households was 907 mmcfd.

The experts are of the view that natural gas contains 85 to 95pc methane (a combustible element), while biogas contains up to 75pc, which is adequate for domestic consumption.

Syed Khan Nasir has been an active candidate for environmental protection for the past four years. He explains that in his area, people chop down trees for firewood, which causes deforestation and harms the environment. Therefore, he installed a biogas plant at his house for fire.

Nasir is pleased as the people are shifting to biogas. It is said that this action will not only stop deforestation but will also provide free biogas and electricity. While the waste (dung) left from the biogas plant will be used as an excellent fertilizer for crops and gardens.

Nasir believes there is abundant animal waste (dung) in villages. If it is used for biogas, the rural population will not be dependent on the government for gas and electricity. This will not only save people from the trouble of bills but also save the country’s valuable foreign exchange and control environmental issues.