Not able to handle the rain

The KESC has recently received a lot of deserved plaudits for eliminating the loadshedding burden in areas where consumers pay their bills and for finally becoming profitable. Some of those profits, it has now become apparent, need to be redirected to overhauling Karachi’s creaking electricity network. No sooner had the first monsoon rains hit that feeders began tripping, leaving large parts of the city in darkness for countless hours. This happened despite the fact that the KESC announced immediate implementation of its rain emergency plan. The rains caught the KESC unaware, which is an annual feature that the utility company is never able to tackle.

The KESC claimed some successes in its efforts at modernisaton, including a five percentage point decrease in transmission and distribution losses — although the accuracy of that figure has been challenged. Such incremental improvements will not be enough. Just a few drops of rain in August were sufficient to cause sleepless nights for some Karachiites and heavier rains now have exposed faults in the system. Fixing problems of dust and grime settling on transformers and transmission lines will lead to some improvement. Should this take place, we would have more confidence in the KESC’s ability to handle long-term upgrades to the infrastructure.

As if the rains were not enough, the company is also involved in a battle with the federal government over unpaid dues. In yet another fight over the circular debt issue, the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) and Sui Gas claim that the KESC owes them Rs39 billion. Not only is the KESC disputing the amount, it wants the money to be adjusted from the Rs76 billion that it is owed by the government. As this tussle plays out, there is a chance that some of the 650 megawatts of power that the KESC is supplied by the NTDC may be diverted to Punjab. Karachi may then witness loadshedding comparable to the rest of the country that will accompany its frequent power breakdowns.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2012.