Dark in the noon: City suffers long hours of load-shedding

KE blames NTDC for short supply in system

KARACHI: The K-Electric (KE) again subjected the citizens to hours-long load-shedding throughout the city on Monday. Most localities of Karachi reported eight to 10 hours of load-shedding while even the exempted areas experienced power suspension between three and five hours.

After the onset of the heatwave in Karachi, the power utility resorted to abrupt and unannounced power suspensions in various parts of the city. According to the KE spokesperson, the current crisis was due to supply cuts from the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC). Sources in KE said the national grid's NTDC cut its power supply to KE by 50% late Sunday night.

The national grid reportedly supplies between 600 to 800 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Karachi. However, due to a technical fault in the national grid, the supply has been cut to 300 MW. After the breakdown, KE, instead of increasing its production, resorted to load management in almost all parts of the city.

A press statement from KE claimed that the power supply to the city had been restored to routine level and that the load management cycles were kept on a rotational basis whose timings were communicated to customers via customer services and media platforms.

The exempted areas were also affected as they faced up to one-and-a-half hours load-shedding. Citizens are badly affected due to the hot weather these days.

The areas most affected by power cuts include Quaidabad, Landhi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Model Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulzar-e-Hijri, Sohrab Goth, Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Keamari, Lines Areas, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Ahsanabad, Manzoor Colony, Mehmoodabad, Akhtar Colony, North Nazimabad, Defence Housing Authority and Clifton.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2018.