South Asia is looking at an energy abyss. Millions of its people have no access to electricity or any other energy. This has put the brakes on the high growth rates in what should have been a dynamic region. High dependence on petroleum import coupled with mismanagement of their energy sector has made the SAARC countries extremely vulnerable. Cooperation could be a way out. Latha Jishnu travels across Pakistan to find out if India and its largest neighbour can set aside their mutual distrust and find solutions for the energy security of the region.
'It is an attempt to browbeat India and further the interest of US solar companies'
The US has challenged India's solar energy policy before the World Trade Organisation (WTO), saying it favours domestic sourcing of solar panels. The challenge, filed on February 6, says the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) flouts global trade norms.
The 'water ATM' can process 1,000 litres in an hour
As dawn breaks, two queues start forming at the only petrol pump in Lakshmangarh, a small town in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. One, obviously, is of people waiting to get their vehicles’ fuel tanks refilled. The other is in front of a simple metal box mounted on the petrol pump’s boundary wall. People like to call it an ATM machine. But, instead of dispensing cash, it gives them clean drinking water.
