KARACHI:
According to the State of the Industry report issued by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), as many as 880 fatal electrocution incidents have occurred during the last five years, which mostly took place during monsoon seasons. These fatal accidents continue to occur due to the inability of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to implement the standard operating procedures and their failure to comply with the relevant safety standards.
Even though the regulatory authority continues to impose hefty fines on these power distribution companies to curb electrocution cases, such incidents are still rising. One of the main reasons behind Discos’ inability to curb these tragic incidents is the lack of investments to make necessary upgrades and improvements in its infrastructure. Fortunately, Karachi’s power supply company K-Electric (KE) has set a benchmark for other DISCOs by achieving zero public safety incidents during last year’s monsoon despite record rainfall. As reiterated by the company’s representatives from time to time, KE was able to prevent electrocution incidents with the help of targeted investments.
Thankfully, NEPRA organised various learning sessions between KE and other DISCOs so that the former can share its learning with the latter and an overall reduction in public safety incidents can be achieved nationwide. However, since these government-owned distribution companies continue to struggle with their financial stability, making investments to fortify their infrastructure seems unlikely, at least before the upcoming monsoon season. As our country is experiencing increasingly harsh weather every year because of climate change, it is evident that a substantial investment in the power distribution system is a must and an absolute necessity to make it safe and reliable for the masses. If these distribution companies fail to take the necessary measures to improve their systems, we will witness a much higher number of tragedies in future monsoon seasons.
Nasir Ahmed Siddiqui
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2023.
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