Sindh urged to prioritise people in clean energy shift

Experts, civil society groups, policymakers and energy stakeholders have urged a clean energy shift in Sindh that puts local people first. At a strategic dialogue organised by The Citizenry and The Knowledge Forum, speakers warned that livelihoods, land rights and community wellbeing must not be sacrificed for new projects.

The dialogue covered four themes: 13 planned renewable sites in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin and Tharparkar, green job prospects, benefit-sharing with communities and corporate social responsibility, and land laws and resettlement. The Citizenry, an online research journalism platform, presented a study by Oonib Azam based on 204 people interviewed across 12 villages in Umerkot. It found weak basic services, insecure land tenure and little community involvement, and said current and planned projects did not fully align with the Power Generation Policy 2015 and Nepra Social Investment Guidelines 2021.

Several speakers raised concerns about skills, jobs and displacement. Zehra Shallwani of New Energy Nexus said skills training was needed as solar systems spread into off-grid areas, adding that poor design, installation and upkeep had caused losses for communities. Local resident Kamal Pallari from Jhimpir said wind farms had created few jobs and offered limited social services nearby, while Abira Ashfaq of Green Chamber noted that indigenous people were sometimes called encroachers in energy project reports.