Devil Soul
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 22,931
- Reaction score
- 45
- Country
- Location
Make your own electricity: A tale of Swat’s restless heroes
FAZAL KHALIQ
For years, the villages scattered across the mountainous swathes of Chitral, Swat, Shangla and Kohistan had no access to electricity from the national grid.
After the sun would set, the village plunged into darkness.
Many a poor villager had fallen down while going to the nearby mosque for Isha prayers, says Abdul Mateen, a resident of Serai village, recalling those times when the village was bereft of electricity.
There were no lights to illuminate the house after sunset; no live cricket matches to captivate die-hard fans. The women were deprived of the comforting whir of home appliances. But two men from Swat’s scenic Utror valley decided they had had enough.
In 1990, Yousaf Zafar and Mohammad Roshan set up the first micro-hydel power station (MHP) in Malakand Division and turned the tide for powerless villagers.
“When we first learned about micro-hydel power stations, we started work on making one in our area. My friend Mohammad Roshan borrowed money from relatives and friends,” says Zafar, harking back to a time when the village was accustomed to shadows.
Garam Chashma road, Chitral
At Shaho Kalam, Swat
At Shaho Kalam, Swat
“We faced endless taunts from the locals of our area. They did not believe such technology existed — they said we were insane. People scoffed at the idea of ordinary people like us producing electricity. They said only the government could do it."
But the boys soldiered on and proved naysayers wrong.
"When we first lit up a house on a trial basis, all the villagers were dumbfounded. For months, people would come from far flung hamlets to see the tube-lights and the MHP illuminated,” he says.
The duo set up a small wonder; a 7.5 KW MHP which enabled the supply of electricity to about 40 houses in the village. Since then, about 150 MHPs have been installed by locals in the Malakand Division.
Kalam, Swat
Kundi Mar Kalam, district Swat
Kundi Mar Kalam, district Swat
Peochar Matta, district Swat
FAZAL KHALIQ
For years, the villages scattered across the mountainous swathes of Chitral, Swat, Shangla and Kohistan had no access to electricity from the national grid.
After the sun would set, the village plunged into darkness.
Many a poor villager had fallen down while going to the nearby mosque for Isha prayers, says Abdul Mateen, a resident of Serai village, recalling those times when the village was bereft of electricity.
There were no lights to illuminate the house after sunset; no live cricket matches to captivate die-hard fans. The women were deprived of the comforting whir of home appliances. But two men from Swat’s scenic Utror valley decided they had had enough.
In 1990, Yousaf Zafar and Mohammad Roshan set up the first micro-hydel power station (MHP) in Malakand Division and turned the tide for powerless villagers.
“When we first learned about micro-hydel power stations, we started work on making one in our area. My friend Mohammad Roshan borrowed money from relatives and friends,” says Zafar, harking back to a time when the village was accustomed to shadows.
Garam Chashma road, Chitral
At Shaho Kalam, Swat
At Shaho Kalam, Swat
“We faced endless taunts from the locals of our area. They did not believe such technology existed — they said we were insane. People scoffed at the idea of ordinary people like us producing electricity. They said only the government could do it."
But the boys soldiered on and proved naysayers wrong.
"When we first lit up a house on a trial basis, all the villagers were dumbfounded. For months, people would come from far flung hamlets to see the tube-lights and the MHP illuminated,” he says.
The duo set up a small wonder; a 7.5 KW MHP which enabled the supply of electricity to about 40 houses in the village. Since then, about 150 MHPs have been installed by locals in the Malakand Division.
Kalam, Swat
Kundi Mar Kalam, district Swat
Kundi Mar Kalam, district Swat
Peochar Matta, district Swat
