Load-shedding continues as power shortfall hits 5,538MW

As the public across the country awaits an end to load-shedding, the electricity shortfall keeps on increasing, signifying a dire future unless immediate actions are taken.

On Sunday, sources in the Power Division informed The Express Tribune that the electricity shortfall has exceeded 5,538MW, leading to increasing power outages in cities and villages.

These frequent outages have made the day-to-day life of the public miserable as mercury soars in the peak summer months.

Sources said that the total power generation in the country amounts to 19,465MW while the total demand has exceeded 25,997MW.

They also said that 4,662MW are being generated from hydropower sources while governmental thermal plants are producing 1,060MW of electricity.

Due to the difference in supply and demand, unannounced load-shedding of eight hours is being carried out in different parts of the country. Moreover, in areas with line losses are found to be high, the duration of load-shedding has reached 12 hours.

Ever since the incumbent government came to power, it has struggled to resolve the nagging problem of power outages. While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had vowed to end the problem as soon as possible, the issue continues to linger on, with no relief in sight.

Furthermore, South Asia has been facing an extreme heatwave since last month and temperature up to 50 degrees Celsius has been recorded in some parts of Pakistan. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has attributed this worsening problem to climate change. It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.