Balochistan's Solar Transition Falters Amidst Implementation Woes

The Balochistan solar transition has been plagued by issues, particularly in the district of Naseerabad. The transition aimed to shift around 28,000 agricultural tube wells from grid electricity to solar power, with the federal government contributing 70 percent of the funding and the remaining 30 percent covered by the Balochistan government.

However, the implementation was slow and unwieldy. Farmers in Naseerabad were promised compensation for solarisation but faced electricity cuts before receiving the money. The result was that tube wells remained shut, and crops suffered from the shortage of irrigation water.

A 16-acre block of land owned by Mohammad Anwar Manjhoo, a local farmer, normally produced between 600 and 700 maunds of wheat but yielded around 500 maunds after the water shortage. The example highlights the challenges faced by farmers during the transition.

According to energy economist Zubair Khan, the agricultural tube well subsidy dates back to July 2001. It was introduced because farmers in Balochistan depended heavily on groundwater for irrigation, particularly in areas with limited canal irrigation.