Power breakdown: Gilgit faces 25-hour-long outage

The city has been facing frequent power outages since the reservoir of hydropower plant at Naltar developed fissures.

GILGIT: Power supply remained suspended in most parts of Gilgit city on Friday and Saturday after at least three major electrical poles were uprooted by a landslide. Power supply to Konodas, Kashrote, Nagral and parts of Jutial was cut off at around 2pm and was not restored till 3pm on Saturday, Mohammad Yousaf, an official in the complaint office said on Saturday. Power was restored after officials of power department repaired three electricity poles and high-tension wires damaged by the landslide near Karakoram International University. The city has been facing frequent power outages since the reservoir of the 18-megawatt hydropower plant at Naltar developed fissures last year. Meanwhile, due to insufficient supply of water in rivers and lakes in Chilas and Astore, hydropower plants in these areas are not working much below capacity and as a result, people are facing frequent outages.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2012.