Electricity is indispensable. The need for uninterrupted power becomes critical when it involves sensitive operations related to hospitals, dispensaries, labs, water and other strategic set-ups. An uninterrupted power supply is very striking and sounds great; however, more generation plants, alternative energy resources and the import of a few thousands of megawatts (MWs) from neighbouring nations are not decisive solutions. The summer becomes violent when power demand increases and the shortfall widens to approximately 10,000 MW. The energy crisis is making history as well as its associated complexities.
The imperative point is that we need a transition of mindsets at institutional, national and individual levels. Power supply management in Karachi is maintained by proper loadshedding schedules and categorisation of consumers is based on low, medium, high or very high-loss areas. The KESC maintains exemptions for loadshedding in various low-loss areas around the city and for sensitive places including industry, considering it to be our economy’s backbone. The KESC itself faces a shortage in the allocated 276 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) gas quota by the authorities. The government committed to a $450 million, 560MW power plant, famously known as BQPS-II. However, an additional 130 MMCFD of gas to the new 560MW plant is in the larger interest of the common man. While a handful of industries enjoy the luxury of regular gas supply for captive power generation, the gas requirement of a public utility serving 20 million ordinary citizens of Karachi is being neglected despite firm written commitments.
Despite billions owed in dues by many entities, 183 government institutions enjoy uninterrupted power supply, including banks, hospitals, military, education, police departments and other institutions. As a gesture of facilitation for normalising water pumping to the city, KESC also often provides services on behalf of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board despite the board’s own bulk supply service cable faults.
Stealing of wires, transformer neutral bushings, neutral lead, busbars, low tension leads and neutral phases lead to sudden power outages in the city. This has become an organised crime circuit in which well-structured thieves and copper buyers are involved.
To counter this, a number of PMTs and consumer connections were prolifically converted into a high tension ABC cable-based supply system in Clifton and Keamari — which mainly preempt illegal connections through kundas. Now, on average, a total of Rs3,552,914 is being saved every month and upcoming conversions of over 250 PMTs in various locations should bring remarkable value addition. Increased outages from seven to 10 hours in high loss areas are not due to loadshedding but faults due to overloading on PMTs and on a distribution system that has already caused that area a high loss. Areas with minimum losses are exempt from loadshedding, which includes 40 per cent of the total city area.
Recently, over 3,000 illegal connections from Baldia Town and other various areas were removed. Consumers are always guided on load regularisation, energy-efficient lifestyles and avoiding illegal connections. The KESC respects its customer base at institutional, commercial, industrial and residential levels and uninterrupted power supply will only be possible once all stakeholders work closely for the national cause.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2012.
COMMENTS (9)
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Kesc is doing a good job !!!!.I think , the problems are due to illegal construction of houses which makes it difficult to get a regular electricity connection without municipal corporation permit. Cesc, Calcutta is the best electricity corporation in India. We face a power cut ,maybe twice in 2 months and it is due to fault in tripping. We pay our bills on time. The per unit cost is 7.15 rupees a unit but it is worth it.take care
I would agree with Zafir and the writer. There is almost no load-shedding in my locality as well - except for the transmission hiccups in the last few days which has improved now - and I live in Gulistane Jauhar which is not a posh locality, for that matter. I dare to say that I have not seen this kind of equitable load management in the past 20 years which most of us ignore and keep complaining on one hand and have a kunda (or meter slowing tactics) and gas-generators in our homes on the other! No surprise that KESC announced profits after so many years, which is a real good news, imo. No business can run with continuous losses. Other than load management, I would urge KESC to do something to bring the cost of electricity down, through alternate energy and other innovative ideas, without which it would be impossible to eliminate the power theft. Besides, people living outside Karachi may note that power tariff in their areas is lower than that of Karachi and there is massive load-shedding in Karachi as well especially in high theft areas.
Ask India to manage and supply power. Give a much needed boost to trade relations. Illimunate the path to a bright future.
I am really impressed by the KESC's performance over the past few months. KESC is supplying an uninterrupted power to areas where there is no theft and the recovery is as per the consumed units.
So I would suggest people who do pay their bills but face loadshedding to complain about those who are involved in power thefts. An email complaint to the KESC for the theft would suffice.
Hats off to the KESC management in general and the twitter guy representing KESC in particular.
@Tariq: Don't vote for PML-N next time :)
I think we should have some people in punjab who should do same thing as Mahajer's do in Karachi to have 3-4 hrs of loadshedding. It is more than 14 hrs in cities like Faisalabad and Lahore :(
Govt of karachi cant removed illegal connection of laloo keth or liaqatbad or orangi town, nazimabad, old karachii busniss district can u tell us why sir.
Worth mentioning that these anti kunda drives are conducted in places (like Baldia) which is ruled by local thugs, they are kings there. You cant even enter these places (Old Haji Camp, Usmanabad, Chakiwara). Arms are common. KESC Personnel go to these places and do their work. They face hardships, resistance beyond your imagination. Police doesn't even dare take action in these places. An ordinary Karachite from Clifton, Defence etc. might not have even heard of these places. Yet we and regulators expect KESC to bring down losses in these areas, on their own, while there is no law enforcement. It will take more than what the writer suggests above to achieve what everyone expects from KESC.
I think the KESC is doing a decent job given their resources and the kind of pressure they have to put up with, and I hope their anti-kunda drive is successful. We should be thankful that the average loadshedding time in Karachi is 3-4 hours, people in Punjab who pay their bills have it way worse.
Most of the katchi abadis, where maids and other labor-class population lives, run on kundas but they also provide some important services to the community, so it's a somewhat fair - if illegal - compromise. And then there's that chunk of Karachi's population who think it's their right to run an AC even if they can't afford it without a kunda - one of the outcomes of excess materialism.