Power outages continue to torment Karachiites despite govt, KE reassurances

Despite reassurances from the federal government and protests by the residents of Karachi, unscheduled power outages continue to make citizens miserable amidst hot and humid weather.

Eight to nine hours of outages are reportedly a norm in the city’s Baldia, Surjani Town, New Karachi, Lyari and other areas. Residents say they have "lost hope" as more than two-hour-long outages disrupt routine activities after every few hours.

A common complaint from residents is that day-long or night-long power outages in the name of ‘maintenance’ are a frequent occurrence.

Meanwhile, residents of Gulstan-e-Johar, Federal B Area, Kharadar, Malir and Shah Faisal have reported seven hours of unannounced power outages.

Other areas present a far bleaker picture. Malir’s Saudabad area, Khokarapar, Rafay-e-Aam, Jinnah Square and parts of Landhi and Korangi do not have electricity for 10 to 15 hours per day.

Even areas exempted from loadshedding, such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar, North Karachi etc, are facing daily power cuts of three to six hours. It is pertinent to mention that these areas do not have line losses and the billing recovery ratio is 90 to 100%.

The power cuts are taking a toll on business activities too, as commercial and industrial areas face prolonged loadshedding. Frequent power failures have also led to irregularities in the water supply to the city, adding fuel to the fire.

Remarking on the current situation, K-Electric Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi did not have much hope to offer, saying that loadshedding is not likely to recede anytime soon.

The KE CEO warned that it will take ‘a few years’ for the power supply situation to get better in the financial hub of the country. 

'Load management'

A day earlier, the power supply company had announced that power cuts were being implemented for 'load management'.

KE also said it was wrong to term all power cuts “unannounced loadshedding” as they were temporary faults, saying that power was being supplied to other parts of the city.

On Tuesday, the power supplier had said certain areas of the city would experience loadshedding due to a technical fault in the Bin Qasim power plant.

Asad Umar issues stern warning to K-Electric 

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has time and again issued warnings to KE over prolonged loadshedding in the metropolis.

“The power distributor should fulfill its responsibility otherwise the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will take action against it,” he said.

Governor Sindh Imran Ismail had also written to NEPRA regarding complaints of overbilling and prolonged power outages.