Bilawal back in the saddle, rides the heatwave

While the federal government remains adamant that providing electricity to Karachi is not its “legal responsibility”, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is holding the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government responsible for long hours of power outages which continues to contribute to the heat-stricken city’s miseries with more than 1,200 people dead so far.

“The PML-N-led federal government and K-Electric are responsible for heat-related deaths in Karachi. The federal government had promised that it would end electricity load shedding in six months but had failed to do so after over two years now. All this proves the government’s incompetence, bad governance and corruption,” PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a statement on Saturday.

“The N-League created a hue and cry about the Nandipur power project and circular debt when it was in opposition. Where does the federal government stand today on the issues of Nandipur and circular debt?” the PPP chairman lashed out at the federal government while commending citizens and political parties for raising their voices against electricity load shedding.

WHEN MORGUES FILL UP:

The PPP chief’s statement comes at a time when the death toll from the worst heatwave to hit Karachi for nearly 35 years have surpassed 1,200 mark as experts warn of another similar heatwave in the metropolis in the coming week.

An influx of bodies into the morgues has forced medical officials to store bodies in body bags on the floor, maintain Edhi Foundation officials, urging the citizens to make alternate arrangements.

“Air conditioning units at the morgue have stopped working. The provincial government had done little except try to blame others. The Sindh government has done nothing except blaming K-electric for the deaths. We pay tributes to the doctors and staff of the government hospitals who are working tirelessly treating endless number of patients,” said an Edhi spokesman.

‘NOT GOVERNMENT’S FAULT’:

As the heat wave in the city of 20 million people coincides with severe electricity cuts, leaving many without fans, water or light, and the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan, when many Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours, the government has been pleading innocent, putting all the blame on K-Electric.

Earlier, addressing the Lower House of the Parliament, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif told lawmakers that the federal government does not have any legal obligation to provide electricity to K-Electric. He said the agreement with K-Electric has expired and will be renewed.

“The new agreement will be brought to parliament’s Water and Power Standing Committee and we will ask this House for guidance and then a new agreement with K-Electric will be signed,” Asif said.

“Right now we have no legal obligation to give them [K-Electric] electricity but we do give it to them, 650 megawatts of it,” the minister said. “Because it is our responsibility as federal government to not lead to an increase in the problems of the people of Karachi.”

TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY:

Instead of taking the responsibility to give relief to the masses, the government resorted to writing a letter to K-Electric, asking it to effectively address the current situation allegedly arising out of its (K-Electric’s) violation of performance standards and licensing conditions.

The letter referred to media reports and recent debates in the National Assembly on Karachi’s power woes, pointing out that since K-Electric was licensed under National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), it was mandatory for the regulatory authority to closely monitor the company to ensure compliance with licensing terms and relevant regulations.

“In particular, your attention is also invited to the fact that reports of frequent tripping and analysis show that there has not been sufficient investment in improvement of distribution system by K-Electric, which should have been improved by appropriate investment and full utilisation of the generation capacity available with K-Electric,” the letter said.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

On the other hand, K-electric says illegal connections are overloading the lines and demand has surged in the heat. The government owes more than $1 billion in unpaid bills, K-electric said in a recent statement.

Temperatures shot up to 44 degrees Celsius last week, although they have since dipped to 38C. The Meteorological Department said the weekend was the hottest since 1981.

A fresh heatwave is likely to hit Karachi next week, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 42 to 43°C.

According to a Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) spokesman, intensity of the fresh heatwave could be similar to the prevailing one. “Relief efforts should continue with the same pace even if the city receives rain,” he said, adding that wind reversal had started from sea to land in Karachi, which would help maintain the mercury level in the city for a few days.