Karachi suffers fourth major power breakdown in October

KE attributes crisis to tripping in national grid transmission line

KARACHI: The metropolis suffered yet another massive power breakdown on Saturday which the K-Electric (KE) attributed to tripping in the national grid.

Residents from across the city started complaining of sudden breakdown of electricity around 12pm. The KE claimed that issues with the national grid transmission line had affected supply.

Massive power breakdown hits Karachi

The affected areas included Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Clifton, Saddar, Lyari, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, North Karachi, Malir, Landhi and Korangi.

This was the fourth major power breakdown hitting the metropolis in October. Earlier this month, citizens faced three power breakdowns which the KE had attributed to humid weather resulting in the tripping of the extra high tension lines. Residents not only had to brave hot weather without electricity, but suffer a water crisis as the intermittent power breakdown also led to a burst in the main water supply line. The Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB) had said that a 72-inch main water trunk burst due to the water's back pressure after the power failure in the morning on October 1, at the Dhabeji pumping station. The line was repaired by October 2 evening. However, there was another power breakdown which led to a burst in another water line on the morning of October 2.

According to one citizen, who asked not to be named, the disruption of KE's system has become routine since the past many years and affects the lives of the city's residents even when there are small changes in weather. "Such frequent power breakdowns never happen in any other place as they happen in Karachi," she said.



Khurram Ali, a resident of Clifton, had said that the power utility company should focus more on producing their own indigenous electricity to meet the demands of Karachi rather than relying on the national grid. "If KE is efficient in taking bills and carrying out load-shedding, then they should also be efficient in providing residents of the port city uninterrupted power supply," he said.

The KE, in a statement issued on Saturday, said that power supply to the city was restored to routine levels after the interruption following the trip in the transmission line of the national grid.

The sudden disruption in supply to the city from the national grid had a rollover effect on the local circuits serving Karachi.

Power was restored by the national grid whereas KE's plants landed safely in 'Island Mode' that helped catalyse the restoration process and most of the affected areas were restored swiftly.

The power utility maintained close coordination with the concerned authorities during this time, the KE statement read.

According to a KE spokesperson, "Continuous investments and upgrades in the system have resulted in greater network resilience and turnaround efficiency to ensure system stability and faster restoration. KE has invested over $2 billion since 2009 across the entire value chain whereas around $500 million was invested alone to expand and rehabilitate its transmission network.

Moreover, a $450 million Transmission Enhancement Project (TP-1000) is also underway to further enhance the transformation capacity and improve reliability of power supply."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2018.