Contrary to the relief promised by the K-Electric (K.E.) on Wednesday when it announced a revised load-shedding plan to manage the ongoing power shortfall in the city, the citizens of various areas of Karachi suffered more-than-usual power cuts on Thursday.
People from many areas have suffered around 10 to 12 hours of load-shedding. In some areas, power cuts were as long as 16 hours.
The power cuts prompted people in many areas to take to the streets. The enraged people blocked roads in protest against the power utility on Wednesday Night and Thursday.
The areas of Karachi facing severe power crisis include North Karachi, Surjani Town, Shadman Town, Buffer Zone, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Lyari, Saddar, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Ibrahim Hyderi, II Chundrigar Road and Shah Faisal Town.
A resident of North Karachi, Syed Hasan, complained how there was no power at his residence from 7 AM until the filing of this story at around 9 PM. He lamented that the power cut had also resulted in a water crisis for his family. “On Thursdays, we get water through suction pumps, and on the same Day, there is a continuous power outage,” he said.
In District Central’s Ayesha Manzil area, there was a two-hour power breakdown after every two hours of power supply. A resident of the area, Farhan Ameen, shared how the load-shedding started at 11 AM and continued intermittently throughout the Day.
“The power supply situation was already bad in the area. On Thursday, it went worse,” he said.
The situation in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Gulshan-e-Iqbal was no different. There was a one-and-a-half-hour power breakdown after every two hours.
“At least, there should be a continuous four-hour power supply so that our U.P.S. can be charged,” said a resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Protests
The Traffic Awareness and Social Media Unit of the traffic police reported that various roads in the city were blocked in the morning and evening hours of Thursday as people resorted to protesting against the power crisis.
Residents of Abul Hassan Ispahani Road blocked the thoroughfare to the Paradise Chowk against the intermittent power outages in the area.
Another protest was held on Hawkes Bay Road in front of the Mauripur KE office at around 11:30 AM against the power and water crisis in the city, which caused a traffic jam on the road for hours.
On Wednesday Night, protesters blocked Kala Pull Chowrangi and Dalmia Road against the power crisis.
K.E.’s version
Responding to the public outrage on Twitter, the K.E. shared that the revised load-shedding schedule was being implemented due to various factors, including the rising demand for electricity and high temperature. “However, this increase in the duration of load-shedding is a temporary measure.”
As per the revised policy, the power utility said three hours of load-shedding would be undertaken in low-loss areas within the K.E.’s Service territory.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the K.E. said that the revised plan would relieve one to two hours to areas already affected by load-shedding.
The statement read that the revised schedule could be obtained via K.E.’s Website, K.E. Live App, and K.E. WhatsApp Self Service Portal.
The power utility apologized for the inconvenience caused to its customers and vowed to continue undertaking all possible measures for its mitigation.