Whether To Or Not To

Once again it is that time of the year when I have to go through moments of painful indecision – whether to or not to – start the room heater in my office. Talking of which I realize that I do not have a heater – the one I have is for the sitting room – just too big for my small home office.

Frustrated!

Indecisions notwithstanding, I do have to start the heater at some point. I mean this is already third week of November and my fingers are beginning to freeze and my trouser feels chilly against my thighs as I start work around 5.30AM. It does not help that my lodgings is located at the extreme north of Dechencholing.

The electricity bill is what I dread. Last winter months my bill was upwards of Nu.9,000.00 per month. I whaled about it and I suppose I will do the same this winter as well. Regardless, I know that my pleadings will fall on deaf ears and will be unfelt by the hearts of stone.

Despite so many rumblings, something that remains unanswered is this:

Why is a country that supposedly has electricity as its highest exportable surplus – is something the common Bhutanese people cannot afford - that they have to queue up at the fuel stations for hours to buy imported energy, trucked from across thousands of miles away?

If hydropower is so beneficial, why is the benefit not accruing to the people of Bhutan? What is the catch? Why is imported energy cheaper than homegrown one?

My readers who have commented on my following blog on the subject are providing some answers and reasons why our electricity is so expensive:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2019/08/being-penalized-for-not-using-domestic.html

The fallacy surrounding the claim that hydroelectric energy is the cheapest and most environmentally friendly is now under serious debate. The destruction caused to the environment both during and after the construction is so great that thinkers around the world are now hesitant to list hydroelectric as environmental friendly.

If it is cheapest, why are we not able to afford it?

If it is environmentally safer, why is so much destruction caused to our landscape and natural environment? Why is the fact that huge amounts of greenhouse gas Methane will be released into the atmosphere by these projects that cause 86 times more damage than CO2, is concealed?

On this Blog, I have 65 articles on hydropower related matters - second highest after photography at 102 articles. You can read them all at:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/search/label/Hydroelectric%20Projects

The problem is that it does not matter to the rich and the powerful – they can afford it. Quite obviously the poor people do not matter.