Karachiites protest 50-hour-long power outage

Protests erupted in different neighbourhoods of the metropolis after several localities remained without electricity for more than 50 hours following heavy rains on August 19.

Residents of University Road, Tipu Sultan Road, Moinabad, Bustan Society, Amirabad and adjoining areas said power went out around 2.30pm on Tuesday, the day of the downpour, and had yet to be restored. The suspension of water supply added to their misery.

Angry citizens staged sit-ins outside K-Electric offices, chanting slogans against the utility for ignoring repeated complaints. In Malir, protesters blocked the Mehran Depot route, halting the Peoples Bus Service, while in Liaquat Market roads were closed, causing severe traffic jams in Model Colony, Jinnah Avenue and nearby streets.

Demonstrators warned that if supply was not restored immediately, they would expand protests to other parts of the city.

Sharjeel Memon

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that rain-related incidents triggered by climate change have been causing human losses since june across the country. He said that 427 people died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 165 in Punjab, 40 in Sindh, 22 in Balochistan, 56 in Azad Kashmir, and eight in Islamabad. In Tharparkar, 198 mm of rainfall resulted in the deaths of three people and 18 livestock.

Energy minister

Sindh Minister for Energy and Planning & Development Syed Nasir Hussain Shah paid a surprise visit to K-Electric's head office following growing public complaints about prolonged power outages. He directed K-Electric officials to take immediate and practical measures to resolve grievances.