Citizens continue to suffer amid KE's claims of uninterrupted power supply

• KE spokesperson refutes reports of 12-14 hours of load-shedding.
• Claims at least 85% of KE's feeders supplied power sans interruption.
• Citizens complaint power outages continue to pile misery over them throughout the day.

KARACHI: The citizens of Karachi have not been able to escape the misery of hours-long electricity load-shedding in the sweltering heat amid K-Electric's claims of providing an uninterrupted supply of power across the city, The News reported Friday.

The power supply remained intact in most of the city despite increasing demand as a result of soaring heat in different parts of the country, including Karachi, a press release by the KE stated.

KE Communications Director and spokesperson Imran Rana said that at least 85% of the KE's feeders supplied an uninterrupted power supply. These 85% include 400 feeders that provided steady power to all the industrial zones, he added.

However, residents of North Karachi, Surjani Town, Shadman Town, Buffer Zone, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Lyari, Saddar, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Defense Housing Authority, Clifton, Boat Basin, Ibrahim Hyderi, II Chundrigar Road and Shah Faisal Town, complained that the power outages continued to pile misery on them throughout the day.

A resident of Buffer Zone, Ghania Ali, said that there wasn’t any power in their area the entire day. She said that they had to install a UPS worth Rs55,000 then and there as the weather was unbearable and they couldn’t survive without fans.

An Ayehsa Manzil dweller, Muhammad Ameen, said that Wednesday night was nothing but a nightmare for them.

“We faced intermittent power failures in such hot weather,” he said, adding that if the situation persisted they would have to resort to protests on the roads.

Rana, on the other hand, denied any claims of 12-14 hours load-shedding in any part of its service areas and said: 

“While there is an evident surge in power demand as the mercury rises, K-Electric is undertaking all measures to provide maximum relief to its consumers. Currently, the power supply to the majority of K-Electric’s service areas remained completely stable. The area-wise schedule for all potentially affected consumers has been uploaded in advance on KE’s website. Moreover, KE issued preemptive messages to customers so that they remain apprised of their potential load shed timings.”

Shedding light on the KE’s efforts to manage the situation, he shared that a 24/7 crisis monitoring cell had been established under the leadership of the company’s chief distribution officer.

Comprising senior management and key members of the operations team, this cell is actively and closely monitoring the demand and supply situation and passing on instant relief to consumers.

Additionally, KE has engaged with civic agencies, local and provincial stakeholders to mount a joint response to the ongoing crisis. Going beyond its traditional role as a power utility, KE has also established camps in support with philanthropic organisations to offer respite to commuters on the road during peak daytime hours.

The KE spokesman advised citizens to remain hydrated with the maximum consumption of water while avoiding unnecessary and direct exposure to sunlight particularly during extreme hot hours from 11am to 4pm. The KE’s call center 118, SMS Service 8119, KE Live App, social media platforms, and WhatsApp Self Service Portal remain active 24/7 to support customers with their queries.