A sudden electricity breakdown on Sunday plunged 30 per cent areas of the city into darkness. The loss of electricity has been pointed to tripping of transmission line which caused the breakdown in supply of electricity from more than 10 grid stations.
According to the K-Electric, the power supply system collapsed due to tripping of 220 KV transmission line in Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plant affecting 10 of 64 grid stations. It claimed that 99 percent humidity in the air caused the tripping, adding that teams were working on the fault to restore the power supply.
As a result of the power failure, the electricity supply was disconnect to city’s Industrial Zone, Port Qasim, Pakistan Steel Mills, Landhi, Korangi, Karachi airport, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Bhains Colony, Quaidabad, Malir, Liaquatabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Nazimabad, Federal BArea, Buffer Zone, Shadman, PECHS and some areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
The K-Electric supply company stated that the technical problems in the grid stations would be resolved quickly after which the electricity supply would be restored. This was the third consecutive blackout which hit Karachi on Sunday’s wee hours crippling life during Sehri. Protest demonstrations by citizens were also reported in many areas. The Karachiites are facing acute water shortage as the prolonged power breakdown suspended power supply to pumping stations.
According to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) spokesman, the power breakdown has affected 206 million gallon water supply to city from Dhabeji and Pepri pumping stations.
NEPRA TIGHTENS NOOSE AGAINST K-ELECTRIC
The National Electric Power Regularity Authority while tightening noose against the K-Electric has decided to take action if it failed to submit its reply on prolonged and unannounced load shedding in Karachi.
Today is the last day for K-Electric to submit its report on power shutdown in Karachi.
On the other hand, NEPRA’s fact-finding committee has finalised its report declaring the K-Electric responsible for the power breakdown in the country’s economic hub.
The transmission and distribution system of the K-Electric is malfunction and the K-Electric failed to enhance production of electricity despite having resources, the report said.
The report alleged that according to the agreement, the K-Electric authorities had not invested required US $36 million.
MQM COMES HARD ON K-ELECTIRC’S FAILURE
The MQM’s Coordination Committee has strongly condemned three long breakdowns of electricity in Karachi during one week.
Expressing its concerns, the coordination committee said that the long breakdowns in the largest industrial city in the country indicated incompetence and criminal negligence of the K-Electric. The coordination committee said that people were facing double agony of load-shedding and large-scale breakdowns in the hot weather during the holy month of Ramzan. Instead of taking steps for eliminating load-shedding, the problems of citizens had increased manifold because of blackouts, they opined.
It said: “The people of Karachi contribute more than 70 percent revenue in the national exchequer, and the profit of K-Electric is increasing, but both the federal and provincial governments are not serious in resolving their fundamental issues.” The coordination committee said that frequent electricity breakdowns had badly affected the normal life of the people, and their anger was spilling on the streets of Karachi.
The coordination committee said that the chief justice of Supreme Court should take suo motu notice of the electricity situation in Karachi as the federal and provincial governments had failed in their duty to resolve the issue. The coordination committee urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to take serious notice of power breakdowns in Karachi and take concrete steps for resolving the issue.