Major power breakdown plunges south Karachi in darkness

Two 220 kilovolt (KV) lines and three 132 KV lines stopped working, disrupting power at 20 of KESC’s 60 grid stations. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: Many parts of Karachi plunged into darkness soon after Iftar on Saturday as some of the Karachi Electric Supply Company’s (KESC) transmission lines tripped.

Two 220 kilovolt (KV) lines and three 132 KV lines stopped working, disrupting power at 20 of KESC’s 60 grid stations, which distribute electricity across the city, the company said.

“(It can be result of) rain, strong winds or theft of power lines,” said a KESC spokesperson, adding the circuits were located on the outskirts of the city. “We have dispatched teams to fix the problem.”

The power outage occurred mostly in southern parts of the city including Clifton, Defence, Saddar, PECHS and their surrounding areas.

Power faults at such a large scale have become rare in the past two years since KESC focuses on area-wise power outages whenever there is a shortfall.

The company is following a policy of rewarding its best customers by ensuring uninterrupted power supply, but experts said the trips suggested that the decades-old transmission system could be at fault for the latest outage.

While power had been restored to some areas, many localities remain plunged in darkness till the filing of this report with a KESC official tweet saying the matter would not be resolved in matter of minutes.