Pakistan

Loadshedding menace continues

Karachi, Lahore and some rural areas experience prolonged power cuts, making daily life difficult.

Express October 15, 2010

KARACHI/LAHORE:

The menace of loadshedding continues as the total duration of power cuts reaches 18 hours in many parts of the country.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) forced an emergency shutdown in the early hours of Thursday as its plant in Kadanwari encountered problems.

As a result of the reduced supply, Karachi is facing increased loadshedding. SSGC says it had to shut the Kadanwari gas field for twelve hours.

Karachi now faces eight hours of loadshedding each day, while the industrial areas are suffering four hours of power cuts.

Spokesperson of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) says that KESC is focusing more on the areas where power theft complaints are comparatively more than the other areas.

In Lahore, Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) is giving a hard time to consumers with an unrelenting loadshedding schedule, due to a shortfall of 2,000 megawatts.

Lesco officials say grid stations are being upgraded, which is a major cause of the current wave of loadshedding.

Meanwhile, protests continue in south Punjab as unscheduled loadshedding has made life tough for people.

Loadshedding also presents a challenge to crop cultivation in rural areas as tube-wells stop running.

Interior Sindh, including Sukkur, Larkana, and Jacobabad face the same situation.

COMMENTS (4)

Shahbanoo Amer | 14 years ago | Reply Accept the offer of cheap electricity and gas from Iran and import it from Iran just like Turkey imports Iranian gas and electricity. Problem solved. No need to build expensive power plants by private power producers and pay heavy commissions as well as start up a new corruption industry in Pakistan. Import it for now and we will see what to do later on.

Javed | 14 years ago | Reply This is in response to the first comment: During Musharraf's regime, demand was lesser, it has grown significantly over the last few years, and hence the shortfall. Electricity prices were not increased, true. But that left the monster of circular debt, which now threatens to bring the entrire power sector down. Due to circular debt, the government is unable to pay the power producers which in turn cannot afford fuel payments which results in decreased power production. Count the 'blessings' of Musharraf;s rule and life in a fool's paradise.

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Talha | 14 years ago | Reply Not only there is load shedding but also tariffs have increased so much that middle class is feeling the punch of the present PPPP govt. This government is the worst govt ever. They cant handle anything and blame it on Musharraf's govt. They should just quit and allow technocrats to do it. Atleast they can be much better. I will pray for it. Ameen

Ahmer Ali | 14 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.There are now few the most worst crises in Pakistan which have been totally out of control and our present leaders are clearly showing their disabilities to over come and the crises are: 1-Load Shedding, 2-Expensiveness and 3-Judiciary matters. And as far as electricity load shedding is concerned our present PPPP's leaders are crying that this crisis is inherited by previous Musharraf's regime.If their this issue is accepted then in Musharraf's regime there were limited resources of power generation as the present government does have,no any dams were built,no any water reservoirs were built.How did they over come electricity crisis?Why there was no any electricity load shedding Musharraf's regime?How did they fulfill the electricity requirement of Pakistan in every sector?Why did they not increase electricity rates although they are accused of starting private power rental projects?They were giving subsidy to the domestic and agricultural sector but present government is not giving.Apparently very strange policies of present government for electricity generation and increasing the power tariff rates.Very hard to understand even impossible for common man who is destroyed socially and economically.

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