Doubts have been expressed on whether daylight saving really conserves energy. The prestigious US journal, 'The Scientific American' of March, 2009, has quoted two studies carried out in 2006 in Indiana and during 2007 in California. The former study revealed only one percent overall rise in the residential electricity use costing the state an extra US$ 9 million. The latter study revealed a drop of 0.2 percent in energy use which fell within the statistical margin of error of 1.5 per cent. In October, 2008 U.S. Department of Energy reported to Congress that four weeks extension of daylight time saved only 0.5 percent of the nation's electricity per day. Moreover, the farmers have opposed daylight saving as it disrupts their schedule. This would be especially true for the rural areas of Pakistan where it would cause confusion in setting the clocks forward due to difficulty in timekeeping of water channels as far as 'Wara-bandi' is concerned. The government ought to think twice before embarking on daylight saving programme in the coming spring season. It is also reported to disrupt sleep pattern and biological rhythms that may cause cardiac problems. -DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI, Lahore, March 30.