I belong to Parachinar which is lush green and one of the natural beauties on earth. Located at the bottom of the White Mountains (Koh e Sufaiad), the capital of Tribal District Kurram has
been synonymous with being known as the whole District Kurram. The estimated population is almost half a million, residing in the region. The livelihood sources include mainly agricultural,
public employment, and local business enterprises. The natural beauty of the region, if properly promoted and managed, has the potential to add to
the revenues generated from tourism. The green hilly areas, covered by natural forests, add to the natural scenic beauty of the region. However, freezing and cold weather conditions are one of the
main reasons for deforestation. People use wood for heating purposes in the winter.
Additionally, due to the lack of public utilities, including electricity and gas, a huge amount of
wood is consumed throughout the year as wood fuel. A successive demand has asserted upper pressure on the prices of wood fuel, which the poor community can hardly afford, drawing huge
income sources out of the pocket of the poor community. Wood combustion for heating purposes is unavoidable. Though a major amount of money is spent on wood fuel throughout the year as a
good some of the wood is required for the said purpose, which on one hand causes degradation and on another hand costs the poor for their living. With the lack of public utilities, especially
gas, and electricity, people can merely afford LPG gas for the said purpose. Natural Gas is considered one of the important factors for the country;s requirements as fuel and
also the backbone for all human activities related to production in the modern era. Due to the high population in the country and their higher demands, the demand for natural gas bears
increasing trend in Pakistan. Literature shows that Pakistan relies heavily on natural gas, which makes up approximately 50% of the primary energy mix.
This share of natural gas has been supplied from the country’s resources for use in power generation, domestic, commercial, industrial, and CNG-fitted vehicles. According to the US government statistics, Pakistan's energy mix consists of 64% fossil fuels, 27% hydropower, 9% other renewables, and nuclear power. Pakistan is still far behind
much of the globe in the development of renewable energy sources, while having a high potential for producing this type of energy. As Pakistan has many oil and gas reserves Sui-gas is the biggest natural gas field near Sui in Balochistan, it was discovered in late 1952. There are many other reserves of natural gas newly prevail for example in the districts of Karak and Hangu which are close to all Ex-FATA Merged Districts, particularly Kurram. It will bring comparatively very low costs for the government exchequer to provide gas facilities to these regions. Government can impose and earn revenues the shape of utility bills from the regions of Ex-FATA. If these facilities are provided properly, the improvement in the living standard of the region is additional. This can save the
region from deforestation as well where the gas and electricity can be used as substitutes for wood fuel. AS mentioned earlier, the region is blessed with multiple natural beauties in the shape of
mountains, forests, greenery, fountains, and lakes. The snowfall starts from December to Marcheach year. All these can argue tourism, which has the potential to contribute to the local
livelihoods, where the secondary economic activities from tourism will be developed. If we talk about the key findings and policy implications the provision of public utilities,
especially natural gas, can save millions of trees to be cut for wood fueling. The huge amount of money spent every year on wood fuel would be saved, resulting in income saving for the poor.
Tourism needs to be explored and smoothened which can result in creating local economies. Very expensive wood which was used for cooking and other purposes can be exported and put to best use as per the consent of the government. Supply of PNG (piped natural gas) can generate profit for the gross domestic product and make the lives of remote areas a bit more advanced and
comfortable.
Zahanat Hussain
Research Assistant at
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad
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