Persistent power cuts test peoples' patience

KARACHI: The 500-KV Jamshoro Line tripped again early Tuesday morning – after tripping both Sunday and Monday nights – throwing almost half of Sindh into darkness, officials at the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) said.

Cities that faced a major power breakdown include Karachi, Larkana, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Sujawal. Protests were also held in these areas on Monday and Tuesday. Several of these areas are still without electricity. 

It seems that the relevant authorities have gone back on all the promises made to not carry out load shedding during Ramazan, as Karachi continued to face power cuts early Tuesday morning – the third Sehri —, Geo News reported.

Areas impacted by the breakdown in Karachi include Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar, Post Office area, Liaquatabad No. 10 and C1 area, Lyari, Shah Faisal Colony, Safoora Goth, University Road, Defence View, Jamshed Quarters, North Karachi, Golimar, New Karachi, Gulbahar, Shadman Town, Nazimabad and North Nazimabad, Kharadar, Keamari, Maripur, Gulshan-e-Jamal, FC Area, Garden, Lea Market, Orangi Town, Mobina Town, Ayesha Manzil, Surjani Town, and Malir.

Spurred by anger and desperation, some citizens turned to protest at K-Electric’s complaint office near Post Office and Liaquatabad No. 10, where they vandalised property and tried to burn down the building. However, authorities reached in time to prevent further damage to the power utility’s structures. The protesters thereafter took to burning tyres, which led to the road getting blocked.

Several residents also temporarily blocked the Malir 15 flyover.

Earlier, a spokesperson for National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) said "400 megawatt of electricity will be provided to HESCO in an hour." The official added that 76 grid stations had tripped during the night after the 500-KV Jamshoro line failed. He claimed "moisture" was the reason behind the breakdown.

Several areas of Karachi have been without power since Monday afternoon.

“This is very stressful for us and we are unable to sleep. But when it comes to billing, K-Electric doesn’t take load-shedding into account,” a despondent citizen said.

“We have two-hour-long power cuts every two hours,” noted another.

While K-Electric seems to be quite active on its official Twitter account, its spokesperson refused to respond when Geo News tried contacting them.

“Due to tripping at the Extra High Tension line, some areas are currently facing a disruption in power. Teams are working non-stop to normalise the situation,” informed a Tweet by the power utility.

On the other hand, former mayor of Karachi and Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal also condemned the recent power breakdowns. "Power outages extending over 12 hours is not okay. Unannounced load shedding during Ramazan is worrisome for citizens," he said. 

Rest of the country in the dark too

Meanwhile, residents of Khanpur blocked the Khanpur-Taxila road on Tuesday, claiming they have been facing over 12 hours of power cuts every day. The protesters also said the relentless load shedding has resulted in acute shortage of drinking water in the area.

On Monday, protests turned violent in Malakand Agency’s Dargai area when protesters stormed a WAPDA office and police station, setting fire to furniture and damaging infrastructure and vehicles. Resultant clashes with law enforcers resulted in at least one protesters’ death and injuries to several others, including the local assistant commissioner.

Peshawar has also been witnessing continued protests against load shedding for the past several days, led mostly by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.