Among the snow capped mountains in Azad Kashmir is the village Sharda Maidan. Practically cut off from the world. . The travel time to village Sharda Maidan from Muzaffarabad (Capital of Azad Kashmir) is 8 hours drive on Jeep-able road and 1 hour hiking. The nearest telephone facility is in Tehsil Athmaquam, which is at a distance of 4 hours drive from Tehsil Sharda. Close by is the rural health centre and the mother and child centre. It is a village of 40 families.
The young and old in these families had never enjoyed the facility of
electricity that most of the world takes for granted. Not until one fine day
when the lights were switched on in this remotest corner of Azad Kashmir.
Siemens solar energy project had brought light in the life of these people. A
commodity that they had never imagined they would posses and now the young and
old were expressing their delight at the magic of light in this wilderness.
Speaking to a PTV ( National Television) reporter a young man recounted the
irritation to his eyes with the burning of oil lamps while he studied before
this solar miracle happened in their village. Now he says he can read books, say
his prayers and read the Quran in the bright light provided by bulbs running on
solar energy. The savings in wood and oil is an added benefit that helps the
poor people of this village. It is the same story in the nearby rural health
centre and mother and child centre. An official of the centre talking to PTV
said that now patients can be treated twenty four hours a day and equipments
like Nebulisers can be used effectively.
Siemens Pakistan had launched the “Light for Life” program after the devastating
earthquake in October 2005. Contributions from Siemens companies in the region
and the head office had poured in under the umbrella of “Siemens Caring Hands”
program the Siemens global NGO for disaster relief. It was decided to launch a
sustainable and environment friendly program that would bring light into the
darkness that had enveloped the lives of these unfortunate people after the
quake. Sharda Maidan is the first of such villages to be powered by Solar. This
program will be extended to as many more villages as the funds allow and Siemens
will continue its efforts to brighten the life of these people and give them a
ray of hope for the future.
After the disastrous earthquake in Northern Areas, we received donation from
Siemens companies, their employees and from Siemens Germany to help the
earthquake victims. A committee was formed to propose a project that would best
benefit the people of this devastated area. Many suggestions were considered
including providing generating sets or kiosk sub stations but in the end it was
decided that for this program to be meaningful and long term and for it not to
become a burden on the local people we should install Solar Energy for the
villages.
A typical village was selected and the basis of that selection was that the
village will not have any electrical energy so far and in the near future there
is no possibility that it can get electrical energy from Utility. The model
village selected was Sharda Maidan. It is a very remote village the travel time
to village Sharda Maidan from Muzaffarabad (Capital of Azad Kashmir) is 8 hours
drive on Jeep-able road and 1 hour hiking. The nearest telephone facility is in
Tehsil Athmaquam, which is at the distance of 4 hours drive from Tehsil Sharda.
The village has 40 families residing in it who have never enjoyed the facility
of electricity that most of the world takes for granted. In addition to the
village the rural health centre and the mother and child centre have also been
hooked up to solar power by Siemens.
It was a Herculean task to support the solar panels, batteries and allied equipment to this remote outpost of Kashmir but Dr.Suhail Qureshi of Siemens and his team worked hard to complete the model project that will serve as the benchmark for further such projects in the area. An interesting thing is that since Dr.Qureshi is a qualified medical doctor he used his visits for installation of the solar panels to also lend a hand at the rural health centre endearing him to the local population who now hold him and Siemens in great esteem. An everlasting bond built between the company and the people that will for ever light the lives of these simple village people.
