KARACHI: The notorious 500-KV Jamshoro line has tripped yet again early Tuesday morning – after tripping on both Sunday and Monday nights – throwing almost half of Sindh into darkness, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) sources stated.
Cities currently facing a major power outage include Karachi, Larkana, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Mirpur Khas, Sujawal.
Relevant teams are, as usual, “working to resolve the issue as soon as possible”.
Original reporting: It seems that the power authorities have gone back on all the promises made to not carry out load-shedding during Ramazan, as the city faced a continued power outage early Tuesday morning – the third Sehri, Geo News reported.
An extra high-tension line tripped once again, putting to test Karachiites’ patience as they had Sehri in dark, waving handheld fans, dripping with sweat, and cursing electricity-related authorities.
Spurred by anger and desperation, some citizens turned to protest at K-Electric’s office near Post Office and Liaquatabad No. 10, whereupon they vandalised property and tried to burn down the building.
Needless to say, employees present in the office fled the demonstration, fearing for their lives.
It was when a heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene and tried to disperse the angry crowd that the building was left alone. The protestors thereafter took to burning tyres, which led to the road getting blocked.
Areas impacted by electric breakdown 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.
‘Moisture’
“400 MW of electricity will be provided to HESCO in an hour,” a spokesperson for National Transmission And Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) said.
The official added that 76 grid stations had tripped during the night after the 500-KV Jamshoro line failed, once again. He mentioned “moisture” as the reason behind the breakdown.
‘Stressful for us’
In addition, some areas reportedly do not have power since Monday, 2 PM.
“This is very stressful for us and we are unable to sleep. But when it comes to billing, KE doesn’t take load-shedding into account,” a despondent citizen said.
“We have a two-hour-long load-shedding every two hours,” another noted.
While K-Electric seems to be quite active on its official Twitter account – offering simply two lines as the reason behind the power outage – 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,” KE’s tweet says.
‘All efforts are being made’
Its response to individuals has been monotonous. “We regret the inconvenience caused, teams working for restoration,” are the KE team’s consistent replies.
Even when Geo.tv attempted to get in touch with KE on social media, it received a similar response: “All efforts are being made for quick normalisation.”
‘Not okay’
On the other hand, former mayor of Karachi and PSP chief Mustafa Kamal also condemned the load-shedding. “Power outages extending over 12 hours is not okay. Unannounced load-shedding during Ramazan is worrisome for citizens,” he said.
