Chitral’s immense hydel potential

Basic essential requirements for producing hydel energy are water plus fall. The higher the fall the more the water, the higher the energy produced. In a mountainous terrain like Chitral with plenty of fast flowing waters, higher and higher falls can be derived by building gravity flow channels.

The same formula applied in the plains would require building huge dams at tremendous costs then these dams getting silted up in due course of time. Where Chitral is concerned a safe estimate is that at least twenty large hydel projects if not many many more can be set up on falls from gravity flow channels from the mini rivers of the side valleys.

Similarly, several small dams can be built at a number of special sites on the main river wherever the very narrow gorges make such dams feasible, producing as much energy as large ones in the plains. Unlike the dams in the plains the collection of water in these dams would hardly submerge any cultivable lands. Thus according to this claims of this scribe the immense hydel potential of Chitral has a capacity to provide energy to the whole of Pakistan and Afganistan if not more.

Even if one calls it a day dream what harm by one more vision with so many aspirations gone bitter, stinking and becoming unpalatable. so while hoping against hope one is reminded by one of Allama Iqbal’s verses Nawaayae aafereen seenayae khaesh, bahaarae nee tuwaan kardan kharaan raa...... so half a century of our precious by gone life demands that the long neglected development of Chitral be handed over to WB for the next fifty years.

Development plan should among others also include highways to central Asia over the Durah and Boroghil passes and development of Kagh Lasht as an international airport, a modern university with foreign scholarships and a full fledged hospital in Chitral proper. With Chitral’s immense hydel potential and its iron and other mineral ores there is a fare chance of not one poor family remaining in Chitral.

The British had introduced electricity in Chitral on a small scale when there were no hydro electricity in many areas of the frontier province. One sikh, Ram singh was the head operator.

Again Lowari is no enigma with what wonders science and technology have produced and developed during the last one and half century.'' Sitarrown sea aagae jehaan our bhi hean''. so why on earth should the lowari be such a perplexing and bedevilling problem? Decades ago during the 1970 elections and through the papers this scribe ad advocated the idea of a cable car way over the lowari. When the mode is in existence else here, and even in Pakistan then for the Quid’s and Islamabad,s sake why not a cable car way over the Lowari? No! The fault dear Qashqaries is not in our stars, the flaw is definitely more so in you and me and in our cuisses and Brutus's.



KA Mulk

Chitral (April 26, 2011).