By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, March 28 (INP-WealthPK): In Pakistan, some rural areas are without electricity because it proves too costly through conventional means due to remote location and low density of population. Due to poverty and low income, the inhabitants of remote areas are not able to afford the main grid electricity. The small hydro power plant is an alternative source of electrical energy to overcome shortages, and has been recognized as one of the most reliable, largely carbon-free, and flexible peak-load electricity generation options with minimum environmental impacts. It can be a better option for providing reliable and cheap energy to rural communities. Engr. Muhammad Asif, Scientific Officer at Climate, Energy and Water Research Institute (CEWRI), while talking to WealthPK stated that in Pakistan, mountainous terrains like the Potohar region have a high potential for development of run-of-river-type small-sized hydropower plants. “The small hydropower plants need low initial investments, smaller area, shorter planning and construction time, locally trained manpower, indigenous material, and lower power generation cost as compared to large power projects. Water is only diverted from a river through a power channel towards a power house. The water that is used to run a turbine can again meet the same river without any loss,” he stated. Asif said that although various hydro sources have been identified in Pakistan that can contribute significantly to the generation of electric power, a number of obstacles are preventing or delaying the propagation of small hydro power plants. “These (obstacles) include lack of plan and monitoring framework, funding, rules and regulations, unavailability of data on hydro resource, and social barriers,” he said. “The lack of adequate funding to improve the small hydropower plants industry is a common challenge. The small hydropower plants industry is dependent mostly on available funding, while the allocated funds are normally spent on a specific community and area, which is not enough to address the issue of the energy crisis in the country,” he said. Asif said the government should devise policies in a way that attracts private investment in building small hydropower projects as the country has vast potential in this sector. The construction of small hydropower plants in Pakistan could ease the country's energy crisis as abundant water resources are available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. An official spokesperson at Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) while talking to WealthPK stated that the small hydropower projects will have a significant impact on the local economy by utilizing local energy resources, minimizing loadshedding, and reducing the amount of foreign exchange required to import fuel for small-scale applications, among other things. “PEDO plans to build three hydel power plants with a combined capacity of 62.8 megawatts. The project details include 40.8MW Koto hydropower projects that will cost Rs13.998 billion, the 10.2MW Jabori with an estimated cost of Rs3.798 billion and Karora hydropower project costing Rs4.62 billion with the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB). These projects are likely to be completed in June 2022,” he said. With a surging population, which is projected to reach 236 million by 2030, increasing urbanization and expanding industrial base, the demand for energy and water is reaching new heights. The small hydropower plants, unlike other non-renewable energy sources, are a cleaner energy source that contributes less to global warming. This hydro resource should be fully utilized to overcome the energy crisis in the country.