KARACHI, Feb 17: The Monday’s 16.5mm rain hit the KESC system, as widespread complaints of breakdowns were received from a number of city areas, with people complaining that the KESC staff was delaying the restoration of power supply.

While the 53 composite complaint centres of KESC told the angry residents that the corporation had switched off power supply as a preventive measure in view of rains, a spokesman for the power utility said “that despite rains, the overall power supply system in the city remained normal”.

A press release issued by the power utility said that the rain had resulted in the breakdown of 76 feeders on Monday.

Analysts claimed that one feeder is capable of handling at least 3.2 megawatts, so it could be assumed that as a result of the power breakdowns, electricity supply of 240 megawatts was disrupted.

People calling from different localities in the city told Dawn that they had been told by their localized complaint centres not to venture out during the rain.

According to the KESC, as a result of rains late night, 27 feeders tripped in Division-I, comprising Old Town, Defence and Clifton; 29 feeders in Division-II, comprising Sharea Faisal, Societies, Malir, Landhi; 56 feeders in Division-III (Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

“Up to 10am on Monday, all these feeders, except seven, were normalized,” said a KESC spokesman.

He said: “Similarly during the day, in all 76 feeders tripped. As soon as the rain stopped, the KESC normalized all these feeders, except six in D-I, IV and in D-II and III.”

People from Saudia Colony, Sector 8-B, said that in their area the voltage was very low. “The voltage is as low as 100 volts. As a result, we cannot run our refrigerators. We cannot switch on the electronic goods as well. The voltage is so low that even the tubelights are not working,” a resident told Dawn.

Calling from Federal B Area, Block 12, another caller told Dawn that now the KESC would announce that the power breakdowns had been because of the fact that it was season’s first rain. “When it rains in winter, the KESC says it is first rain of the winter season. When it rains in summer, the KESC says it is the first rain of the summer season.”

Calling from PECHS, Block 2, off Khalid bin Waleed Road, a housewife wondered why the power utility had not improved the transmission and distribution system during winter when fewer power breakdowns took place.

Saleem Khan called from Lea Market and told Dawn that various streets in his neighbourhood had been without electricity.

“Our regional complaint centres do not answer phone calls. When some people went to the complaint centre to lodge a complaint, they found that nobody was present there,” he said.

Calling the Dawn office at 9pm on Monday, Shaukat Ali, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Block 17, said his locality had been without electricity for the past two hours.

Calling from North Nazimabad, Block N, Naheed Alam, said her locality had faced the first power breakdown at 11.30pm the previous night.