Let's overcome the power crisis

Andrew Scott

Electricity has turned out to be one of the most essential facilities in modern Sri Lanka and when it breaks down almost every activity in our homes, offices and industries come to a standstill frustrating the electricity consumers throughout the country. In fact today every aspect of our lives is controlled by electricity in the same manner like how air is essential for our breathing. If we do not think seriously about saving electricity right now, a great power crisis will bring about a misery and inconvenience to consumers throughout the country and it will also affect the country's economy.

Until recent times we had enough electricity but with a number of new industries opening up in Sri Lanka and with the excess demand from household consumers, today we do not have sufficient power to cater to the ever increasing demand for more and more electricity and wavering weather conditions such as prolonged droughts aggravate this situation leading to a crucial national crisis. Something has gone wrong drastically particularly with our weather patterns due to the unplanned clearing of virgin jungles and from time to time we find ourselves amidst an acute power crisis which affects all of us to a lesser or greater degree. Whatever the causes for the power crisis are, we have arrived at a situation where we should take immediate steps to overcome it.

Demand for electricity

With the present rate of development in the country and the ever increasing demand for electricity in the immediate future, power cuts would become a regular feature in Sri Lanka. Even though we are progressing very much in the path of national development particularly with the clearing of forests, some water resources in the country, particularly in the hilly regions, have become depleted.

The continued maintenance of these water resources is very important as they are really the nurseries of all our hydropower plants on which we depend heavily for power generation.

Electrical equipment

It is prudent that we take measures to cut down the unlimited demand for power in the country and also encourage alternative methods for power generation.

For instance, the estate sector should be encouraged to mobilize the services of turbines and peltons that were widely used to generate electricity in the good old days.

In designing new houses and large buildings, action must be taken to see that they are not planned with much dependence on electricity even for ventilation.

It is pathetic that today's houses are so designed that they require a great deal of electricity both for lighting (sometimes even during the day time) and ventilation.

If we design houses with a lesser requirement of electricity the country will be much benefitted in the long-run. Admirable examples of neat and well ventilated houses with plenty of natural light seeping into the houses can be got from old houses in some of our remote villages.

Specially the people in the towns have become slaves to the use of fans and some other electrical equipment which are really not essential for the comfortable living in a country such as Sri Lanka which has a very tolerable climate.

Surely, in a majority of the houses in Sri Lanka we can live comfortably without the services of fans and air-conditioners which eat up a bulk of the electricity produced in the country. In Sri Lanka most people use these items to boost their status in the society in which they live.

Domestic requirements

It is time that we turn to nature without depending on electricity for everything. A very sensible solution is for us to get used to simple ways of living without being slaves to electrical gadgets to do even the simplest household chores. To add to this the demand for electricity has swelled with the expansion of the tourist trade, industries, various development projects and social mobility specially in the rural areas of this country.

Specially the affluent people in the country do not seem to care very much about the blessings of mother nature and they are solely dependent on electricity. This is a sorry situation and we must turn to lasting and simpler ways of living. It is only then that we could seek true contentment in life both as individuals and as a progressive nation.

Though somewhat cumbersome our housewives too should learn how not to rely entirely on electrical gadgets for their daily work.

Generally all consumers of electricity from the school going child to the adult should be more careful in the use of electricity and should make it a point not to waste electricity unnecessarily. If no remedial measures are taken to conserve electricity Sri Lanka will soon come to a situation where we will not have sufficient power even to cater to our domestic requirements.