Urdu Bazaar A study on the acceptability of alternative energy sources for a book market in Karachi Arif Hasan and Mansoor Raza with Hira Ilyas Bawahab Access to Energy series Series Editor Emma Wilson First published by International Institute for Environment and Development (UK) in 2013 Copyright © International Institute for Environment and Development All rights reserved ISBN: 978-1-84369-924-8 For further information please contact: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) 80-86 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8NH United Kingdom [email protected] www.iied.org/pubs A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Citation: Hasan, A., Mansoor, R., Bawahab, H. I. 2013. Urdu Bazaar: A study on the acceptability of alternative energy sources for a book market in Karachi. International Institute for Environment and Development, London. All photography: Hira Bawahab Design by: SteersMcGillanEves 01225 465546 Printed by: The Russell Press www.russellpress.com Edited by Clare Rogers Disclaimer: This paper represents the view of the authors and not necessarily that of IIED. Executive Summary Urdu Bazaar A study on the acceptability of alternative energy sources for a book market in Karachi Arif Hasan and Mansoor Raza with Hira Ilyas Bawahab Table of Contents Executive summary 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 7 Chapter 2: The Survey Process 11 Chapter 3: Research Findings 13 Chapter 4: Meeting between The Selected Solar Company and the Urdu Bazaar Welfare Association 24 Chapter 5: Follow-up activities 26 Chapter 6: Conclusion 28 Reference Section 29 Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire 30 Appendix 2: Cost comparisons 31 Appendix 3: Newspaper clippings 35 Appendix 4: PowerPoint® presentation of the study 36 Appendix 5: Letter to Secretary of the Power Department 51 1 About the authors Hira Ilyas Bawahab is an architect at the prestigious National College of Arts, Lahore, Arif Hasan is an architect/planner in private Pakistan. She is currently employed at Arcop practice in Karachi, dealing with urban planning Associates Pvt Ltd., one of the leading firms and development issues in general and in Asia across Pakistan. She possesses a keen interest and Pakistan in particular. He has been involved in urban design and development as a subject. with the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) since 1981 The problems that Pakistan faces today in terms and is a founding member of the Urban of population, land use, transport, road Resource Centre (URC) in Karachi, whose networks and sustainability are what drive her to Chairman he has been since its inception in learn and better understand the country and its 1989. He is currently on the board of several urban fabric. Being part of the Urdu Bazaar international journals and research research project provided a technical insight organisations, including the Bangkok-based towards various aspects of viewing an urban Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, and was environment. previously a Visiting Fellow at IIED. He is also a member of the India Committee of Honour for Mansoor Raza is an electrical engineer and the International Network for Traditional environmentalist. He is currently Deputy Building, Architecture and Urbanism. He has Director, Advocacy and Research at the Church been a consultant and advisor to many local and World Service – Pakistan/Afghanistan, where foreign CBOs, national and international NGOs, he has worked since 2002 overseeing disaster and bilateral and multilateral donor agencies. response activities and mitigation plans for He has taught at Pakistani and European Pakistan as well as undertaking more strategic universities, served on juries of international fundraising and managerial work. Prior to this he architectural and development competitions, worked at the NGO Resource Centre in Karachi and is the author of a number of books on as a Field Coordinator, building the capacity of development and planning in Asian cities in community-based NGOs and designing training general and Karachi in particular. He has also packages for grassroots organisations. He has received a number of awards for his work, which researched and published widely and has a spans many countries. special interest in the amendment and repeal of discriminatory laws and their misuse in Pakistan. Abbreviations and local terms KESC Karachi Electric Supply Company Kunda An illegal electric connection taken from power distribution poles kWh Kilowatt hour(s) OCT Orangi Charitable Trust OPP-OCT Orangi Pilot Project (run by the Orangi Charitable Trust) PKR Pakistani rupee UPS (units) Uninterruptible power supply units 2 Acknowledgements A number of people worked on this study in The authors learned a good deal about the addition to the main authors. Architects Furqan technical aspects of solar energy systems Khan and Hira Ilyas were responsible for during the course of this study, and are now in a carrying out and tabulating the questionnaire position to promote them in the teaching survey, Varda Nisar helped tabulate and prepare institutions to which they are affiliated, and a related PowerPoint® presentation, and Israr among the communities where they and/or their Ahmad Rana pulled the study together. organisations work. Shahid Bhai, our contact in Urdu Bazaar, and The authors would like to thank Nikhil Nasim Ahmad Sahib, the leader of the Urdu Jaisinghani of Value Development Initiatives and Bazaar Welfare Association, spent a lot of time Emma Wilson of International Institute for with the team during and after the survey, and Environment and Development (IIED) for Nasim Ahmad Sahib subsequently arranged a reviewing the paper. IIED is grateful for the well-attended meeting between shopkeepers support of its Joint Framework donors Danida, from the bazaar, the authors of the study and the SIDA and Irish Aid. solar energy supply company. ARIF HASAN January 2013 3 Executive summary Pakistan has one of the lowest rates of power longer-term outcomes of the activities presented consumption in the world, with per capita in the study. consumption of less than half the average for The initial survey revealed that power outages in developing countries. Power outages in Karachi the market last for about three hours on a normal have increased since the privatisation of the working day, but can go on for as long as six or Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) seven hours. This means that shopkeepers three years ago, and these are damaging cannot operate fans in summer, illuminate dim industry and commerce. The energy crisis is shops or provide lighting after dark. They use starting to take a serious toll on the country’s generators and uninterruptible power supply economy and its people’s daily lives. Local units (UPS) as an alternative to mains power, but communities are left to find their own solutions these are far from ideal. Generators are while they wait for the government to resolve the expensive to buy and run, are noisy, and cause problem. Thanks to technological advances pollution and potential health hazards. there are alternative power sources to choose Shopkeepers reported that customers do not from, but these are subject to a range of like going into shops when they are switched on. technological and social constraints and UPS units are cheaper than generators, but do potential problems with governance. not store enough energy to cover long power This study explores attitudes to alternative outages and consume large amounts of power energy sources in Urdu Bazaar, a typical from the grid. The acid batteries also cause air commercial market in the centre of Karachi. pollution that is difficult to tolerate for long After discussing the power generation situation periods. in Pakistan in general, and Karachi in particular, Some 90 per cent of the shopkeepers surveyed it documents the initial conclusions of the recognised the environmental advantages of research process, the actions taken following solar energy, and said that they see it as a discussions with participants, and a follow-up sustainable alternative power supply. They review to assess the impact of the study and identified four packages that could meet their efforts to bring stakeholders together to resolve energy needs. The authors asked seven solar some of the issues identified during the energy companies to provide technical details investigation. and a quote for one of the packages (consisting An initial survey conducted in July and August of two energy-saving light bulbs and a fan), and 2010 used observations, detailed interviews contacted two engineers to help them with leaders of the shopkeepers’ welfare understand the proposed technologies. A association, a questionnaire administered to company called WellBeingGreen was selected 100 randomly selected shopkeepers, and to proceed with the exercise, as it seemed keen interviews with solar energy companies and to cooperate, was associated with a respected other experts. The authors met key stakeholders foreign head and had submitted the lowest again in late 2011 and 2012 to determine the estimate. 4 Executive Summary The authors presented their findings to the Although the shopkeepers in Urdu Bazaar were market’s shopkeepers at a meeting hosted by keen on the solar option because it would make the Urdu Bazaar Welfare Association. them less reliant on inefficient power supplies WellBeingGreen presented its package at this from KESC, they decided not to adopt it. There event, and the shopkeepers voiced some of their were several reasons for this. Firstly, the AC concerns about solar alternatives. They were solar system would be relatively expensive as it worried that the government might impose a tax requires power inverters to change from DC to on solar power, which would compromise their AC current, while the more affordable DC option investment, and that KESC might retaliate for the would mean replacing their existing equipment. revenue it would lose if they opted for solar They were also anxious about the security of energy systems. There were also concerns solar panels on rooftops, given the current levels about security, as the solar panels would be of unrest in Karachi.