KARACHI: Karachi residents may have to suffer power cuts of up to 14 hours for another 10 days as Karachi-Electric’s (KE) Bin Qasim Power plant that had earlier suffered a technical fault is unlikely to be made operational by May 20, a local media outlet reported.
Earlier, KE spokesperson had explained that the plant under the process of repair will be completed by May 20. It was further told that KE has already forwarded a request to the federal government to provide extra 150MW of electricity until the fault is repaired completely, but to no avail.
Sabzi Mandi, Quaidabad, Malir, Saudabad, Malir, Moeenabad, Shah Faisal, Baldia, Town and Ittehad Town are among the areas worst hit by extended hours of load-shedding.
Karachi is currently facing a shortfall of 600MW-700MW due to the Bin Qasim plant breakdown. The KE spokesperson claimed that the repair of the power plant will significantly help to reduce electricity issues.
The temperature in Karachi is expected to hit 43°C today as the heatwave is set to return to the coastal city, reported local weather authorities.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the city could get hotter as temperatures could rise up to 40°C over the next 4-5 days due to an insufficient sea breeze.
“Once the sun has peaked and the evening starts blending into nightfall, the sea breeze may gain momentum pulling temperatures down slightly,” read the forecast.
Residents of the city have been advised to remain indoors during daytime and forego outdoor activities for a few days.
Furthermore, as the blistering heat persists, several areas of the city also continue to face power supply cut-offs for as long as seven hours.
On the other hand, K-Electric, the company responsible for supplying electric power to the economic hub, has pacified 20 million citizens saying that it would try its best to provide uninterrupted electric supply during sehri and iftar timings.
However, it added that people should not confuse technical faults as load-shedding.
Moreover, tenants of Shamsi Society in Shah Faisal Town resorted to blocking roads and burning tyres as they vented out their frustration of living through the heat for long hours in their neighbourhood.
In a separate demonstration, tenants of Nazimabad No 2 blocked roads in their area as they protested against the lack of water supply.
