Karachi power woes

Letter July 12, 2020
The power woes of the citizens of Karachi are too many , including loadshedding, high tariff.

KARACHI:

The power woes of the citizens of Karachi are too many , including loadshedding, high tariff, overbilling, and the dilapidated infrastructure that has often caused the severing of live wires resulting in the deaths, especially during rains. Many governments come and go, but nobody has succeeded in fixing these ills. As a result, Karachiites have been suffering and suffering — these days even more due to the blazing sun and the Covid-induced lockdowns.

Taking notice of the recent loadshedding in the city, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked his team to visit Karachi and in order to find out a solution to the crisis. Led by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, the Prime Minister’s team met the various stakeholders including the K-Electric management. After the meeting, the federal minister announced that there would be no loadshedding in Karachi from the following day. Let’s hope that the pledge would come true and the people of Karachi would be rid of the menace of loadshedding.

However, the government must understand that it is not just the shortage of electricity that is causing intermittent power failures in Karachi. There are other host of issues, most prominent of which is the weak and vulnerable power supply system that cannot even sustain even a small amount of rain. That’s why the power supply in Karachi disappears just as the rain starts falling. The recent rain in Karachi is a case in point. The government, therefore, must also find a permanent solution to the issue of loadshedding as — apart from the domestic consumer — it also affects the businesses.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.