Hot weather, hotter tempers: Continuous power outages ignite people’s rage

Citizens out on the streets, burning tyres and blocking traffic, in protest

KARACHI: After the spree of continuous power outages and disrupted supply of electricity, especially during sehri and iftari timings, residents of Mehmoodabad came out onto the streets to protest K-Electric’s (K-E) unannounced load-shedding.

More than 50 people protesting on Thursday against the interrupted supply of electricity blocked traffic on the road connecting Shaheed-e-Millat Expressway to Baloch Colony. The protesters blocked the flow of traffic and chanted slogans against K-E. People returning from offices were stuck on the road for more than two hours.  In other areas of the city people were also out on the streets in protest, burning tyres and pelting moving vehicles with stones. Areas where tense situations prevailed include Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Mauripur, North Karachi, SITE, Saddar Malir, Landhi, Shah Faisal and Korangi.

The protests caused severe traffic jams and commuters stuck in their vehicles for hours.  “I left my office at 2pm in the Sindh Secretariat and reached home in Gulshan-e-Iqbal at 5:30pm,” complained Zuhaib Ahsan, who works as an office superintendent.



The sweltering weather coupled with the beginning of Ramazan has heightened the people’s despair, as Karachi’s proverbial sea breeze has failed its residents. The protesters also complained that due to the continuous power outages they are being deprived of water at their houses. "Where will we get water from? There is no light and we cannot live like this," said a middle aged woman angrily. She said that since the beginning of Ramazan not a single day has passed when they have had electricity while they were eating. According to her, after every hour of continuous electricity supply they are facing load-shedding for three hours, coupled with low voltage.

Another protester, Noman Ahmed, said that they pay bills regularly but are still facing such a pitiful response from K-E. "What else should we do in such hot weather while fasting with no electricity at home but protest?" he demanded, adding that there has been no water or electricity at their homes for around half of the day.

Residents demanded a proper explanation for the power outages from K-E. "Why do they only do this in Ramzan? People will die just like two years ago," lamented Farhan Khan, who lives in Manzoor Colony.



Another angry protester questioned why the government does not intervene in such a situation and hold K-E responsible for the suffering of the people.

People living in Gulberg area blocked main roads for about five hours and attempted to ransack the K-E office. “There has been no light in our area for about nine hours. No one is attending our telephone calls. The K-Electric helpline is not working so where should we go?” demanded a middle-aged woman who was gripping a stick in her hands. “Today, I have come out to [attack] K-E employees with this stick but no one is sitting in their offices. They have locked their offices,” she said.

Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Javeed Nagori, who was leading the protest in Lyari, said that they would lodge an FIR against the K-E officials if anyone died because of the suffocating, hot weather.



Continuous power outages have been observed in the city since Sunday night, while 70% of the city suffered blackouts three times in the last five days. All areas in the city that were earlier load-shedding exempt are also facing unannounced and interrupted supply of electricity at odd hours.

Several complaints have been received of electricity break downs for hours. K-E's Chief Marketing and Communication Officer Fakhar Ahmed said that the load management spells across the city will continue for the next two three days,  while the temperature is predicted to cool down in the next few days.