Peshawar: Thousands of worshipers, students and community members have benefited from solar-powered geysers and water pumps installed in mosques, schools and health facilities in the militancy-affected Swat, officials told Dawn on Thursday.
A total of 314 mosques in Swat district have got geysers running on solar energy and over 30 solar power based water pumps under the UNDP-funded `Peace and Development Programme`, according to a spokesman for Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).“This is our first winter that we have warm water for ablutions,” Adil Shah, caretaker of `Allah O` Akbar` Mosque, Muhallah Dehrian, Charbagh in Swat, told Dawn on telephone.
He, however, said the facility had not been `very effective` due to shorter sunlight hours these days.
Solar panels, according to him, have been installed on the mosque`s rooftop from where energy is supplied to a 200-litre water geyser installed close to the specified ablutions place.
“It (solar-powered geyser) does not have any negative effect or anything to complain about as we always used cold water in winter for ablutions in the mosque,” said Ali Haider, in charge (administration) of Mian Koto Mosque, Charbagh.
Adnan Khan, a spokesman for PDMA, said a total of 347 solar-powered geysers with solar panels had been installed in mosques at the cost of Rs11.3 million and that basic health units, educational institutions and a couple of gurdwaras (worship places of Sikhs) also received solar-powered geysers.
Besides, with an investment of Rs35.7 million, some 58 water pumps energised by solar power have also been installed. The selection of mosques and other places for installing the pumps was made through a survey in which need assessment was carried out by the staff of a local nongovernmental organisation, said the caretaker of a mosque.
“We have been exposed to something really unheard of. We had heard of cars running on batteries instead of petrol, but this is for the first time that we have seen the practical demonstration of making electricity from sunshine,” said Mr Haider of Mian Koto Mosque.
News Details: Dawn Dot Com
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