First monsoon showers leave parts of Upper Sindh without power
Extreme voltage fluctuations damage hundreds of consumer appliances۔
SUKKUR:
Multiples towns and cities in Upper Sindh were still awaiting the resumption of power supply late Monday, after monsoon showers arrived in parts of Ghotki and Kashmore districts on Sunday.
Residents of Sukkur, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro Daharki, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Kashmore and others towns had to make do without electricity from Sunday night and throughout Monday morning, as multiple electricity pylons and transmission lines were damaged.
Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) media manger Akhtiar Memon said that an electricity pole fell in Ghotki district, causing the Liberty power plant to trip and get off the national grid. This led to power breakdowns in an area starting from Daharki in Ghotki district and stretched to Nara in Khairpur district.
Most of these areas received backup electricity from Rohri, which caused huge voltage fluctuations that ranged from power dropping from the regular 220 volts to as low as 100 volts. Hundreds of consumer appliances were damaged as a result. Memon added that a high-tension jumper also broke near Shikarpur, while the Engro power plant went off the grid on Sunday night.
However, technical teams were working round the clock to repair the damage.
A Sepco official told The Express Tribune that the dilapidated condition of electricity pylons and transmission lines meant that they stood no chance of weathering the monsoon rains. “Most of the electricity poles have been standing in stagnant water for a long time, and easily collapsed due to strong winds.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2012.
Multiples towns and cities in Upper Sindh were still awaiting the resumption of power supply late Monday, after monsoon showers arrived in parts of Ghotki and Kashmore districts on Sunday.
Residents of Sukkur, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro Daharki, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Kashmore and others towns had to make do without electricity from Sunday night and throughout Monday morning, as multiple electricity pylons and transmission lines were damaged.
Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) media manger Akhtiar Memon said that an electricity pole fell in Ghotki district, causing the Liberty power plant to trip and get off the national grid. This led to power breakdowns in an area starting from Daharki in Ghotki district and stretched to Nara in Khairpur district.
Most of these areas received backup electricity from Rohri, which caused huge voltage fluctuations that ranged from power dropping from the regular 220 volts to as low as 100 volts. Hundreds of consumer appliances were damaged as a result. Memon added that a high-tension jumper also broke near Shikarpur, while the Engro power plant went off the grid on Sunday night.
However, technical teams were working round the clock to repair the damage.
A Sepco official told The Express Tribune that the dilapidated condition of electricity pylons and transmission lines meant that they stood no chance of weathering the monsoon rains. “Most of the electricity poles have been standing in stagnant water for a long time, and easily collapsed due to strong winds.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2012.