In a village in Pakistan called Barshamnal, people pay only Rs 100 per month to have electricity all day and night, even as protests against high power bills and frequent power cuts continue in other parts of the country.
A few years ago, a person in Barshamnal set up a small hydropower plant on a stream that runs through the village. This plant provides electricity to every home in the village, and residents only have to pay a small fee.
Shaukat Ali, the person behind this hydropower plant, invested one million rupees eight years ago to build the project. It now supplies electricity to more than 150 homes in the village.
Barshamnal village is in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the villagers there now have access to electricity for lighting, refrigeration, fans, washing machines, and irons in their homes.
Shaukat Ali’s journey into private power generation began when a local car mechanic suggested that he invest not just for himself but for the entire village. Ali acquired a small canal, a room, and equipment to divert water from a major canal, which allowed him to generate electricity without blocking the water’s flow.
Barshamnal now has seven small hydropower plants that provide affordable electricity to about 800 households. This innovative approach harnesses flowing water without blocking it, and the water is returned to the stream after use.
By building a dam on the stream, diverting water into a custom-made canal, and using a turbine, electricity is generated. This success story in Barshamnal offers a potential solution for other areas facing electricity challenges in Pakistan.
