Electricity outage: Two power pylons blown up

Major power outages as a result of blowing up of power pylons.

Two power pylons of 220-KV on the Quetta-Guddu transmission lines were blown up in Naseerabad district on Thursday, causing major power outages in Balochistan.

Spokesperson of the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) Shafqat Khan, said that unidentified people planted an explosive device on the pylons. The explosion increased the power shortfall to 1,100 megawatts in Balochistan, which has a total requirement of 1,250 megawatts.

“Qesco is carrying out power cuts ranging between 18 to 20 hours in 14 districts, with hours of outages in the provincial capital,” Khan told The Express Tribune. He said that repair work on the damaged power pylons had not started.  It will begin after receiving security clearance, he said.

Districts affected as a result of the attack include Quetta, Bolan, Qila Saifullah, Qila Abdullah, Naushki, Ziarat, Sibi, Khuzdar, Mastung, Kalat, Harnai, Kharan, Pishin and Kachhi.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2011.