Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

Karim Baksh bends down beside a narrow stream of water, guiding it with his hands through shallow muddy channels toward rows of ripening watermelons, AzerNEWS reports.

In Dasht, a remote village in southern Balochistan—the largest province of Pakistan—Baksh’s harvest had long depended on a diesel-powered pump that drew groundwater to irrigate his fields.

That changed after Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a sharp rise in global fuel prices, making diesel increasingly unaffordable. “It became impossible for me to run the pump every day,” he said.

As water supplies dwindled, his crops began to suffer. In some seasons, he was forced to reduce the area he cultivated. “If there is no water, there is no crop. And if there is no crop, there is no income,” he explained.

In 2023, Baksh made a risky decision: he borrowed 300,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,075) from relatives and friends to install solar panels beside his field.

Three years later, that gamble has paid off.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, and disruptions to key routes like the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes during peacetime—global energy prices have surged.

But Baksh is no longer worried. Under the scorching sun of Dasht, where summer temperatures can reach 51°C (124°F), his solar-powered pump runs reliably without diesel, allowing him to irrigate his crops without interruption.

Interestingly, his story reflects a broader trend across rural South Asia, where farmers are increasingly turning to solar energy as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. In many cases, these small-scale innovations are not only improving livelihoods but also helping communities become more resilient to global energy shocks and climate change.