"My children are thinking about their final exams. They want to concentrate more on studies but if the present situation continues, it will definitely affect their grades," said Amina, a mother whose three sons go to school. The annual exams from primary to graduate level will be held in the coming months and students are preparing to acquire good grades, said Shagufta, a teacher at Islamabad Model College for Boys, F-8/4. But load shedding for such long hours will make difficult for them to focus on their studies, she added.
School-going children are also disturbed as when they sit down to open their bags to do homework and light goes out, they feel let down. And they pass the time thinking whether they will able to complete their homework and what their teachers will say if they could not finish it. It turns is more gloomy for children, if the next best thing they want is to get into the bed and go to sleep. This situation also eats up their time, left for play and leisure.
The winter days are short and nights are long, so children like to do their homework in the evenings but their plans are always in jeopardy because of the persistent load shedding. Moreover, housewives feel an extra burden on their shoulders. If they are washing clothes, they are worried that their washing machines would stop functioning, as there is no confirmed time for power to disappear.
Family dinners are interrupted and suddenly people feel at loss as what to do with their time, as then there are no television to watch and no computer to surf Internet or play games. Meanwhile, business of manufacturers and sellers of emergency lights, candles, generators and UPS systems, has shined. The government is issuing assuring statements that many power projects are in the pipeline to meet the energy shortages.
In the long term, there is a need to look for alternative sources of energy. Pakistan has abundant sunshine throughout the year, so solar energy is an option. Although industry analysts say the cost for solar energy is high but there are advancements, which can result in lower costs. Another source is wind and things can happen on this front, if attention is focused on the area.