KARACHI, Feb 11: The transmission and distribution system of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation broke down in many localities following a downpour received by the city in the early hours of Friday.
According to the KESC sources, the areas which suffered prolonged power breakdowns on Friday included Defence, Clifton, Shabirabad, Federal B Area, Bangalore Town, PECHS, Sindhi Muslim Society, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Buffer Zone, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Saddar, Garden East, North Karachi, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Society and Garden West.
While even areas where the power supply was restored faced intermittent subsequent power closures, the sources said. A very irate resident of Federal B Area, Block 15, said his locality had experienced a prolonged power breakdown. "We lost our power supply at around 9.15am.
I called 118 - also known as the centralized complaint centre - and was informed that our area feeder was one of the many feeders that had tripped in consequence of the rain.
The telephone attendant told me that the area feeder was being repaired. Power supply was restored at around 3.15pm, but left again at 5pm for three quarters of an hour," he said.
The resident said he knew that Buffer Zone, where his in-laws lived, had also experienced a prolonged power breakdown on Friday. Another resident of Federal B Area, Block 14, said his locality was without electricity from 3am to 10am, adding that many brief power breakdowns occurred afterwards.
A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 14, said his locality had been without electricity the previous night. "It is hard to figure out which started first: the rain or the power breakdown.
The timing of the KESC people was so perfect that one wondered whether they were in constant communication with the Met Office. It is a pity, however, that the power breakdown continued longer than the rain," he said.
A resident called from Bangalore Town at around 5.30pm and told Dawn that his locality had been without electricity since 3am. A resident of Old Golimar told Dawn that the entire area had been facing intermittent power closures since morning.
Calling from Defence, Phase VI, a citizen said his locality had faced a 12-hour long power shutdown on Friday. "We pay a huge amount of money every month as utility bills.
If we do not pay the bills, the KESC takes punitive action against us and disconnects our power supply. But, if the KESC fails to deliver power we cannot do anything," he said, hoping that a new administration would be able to turn the KESC into a better and more efficient organization. However, a spokesman for the KESC said the number of feeders which tripped because of the rains was insignificant. "Some feeders might have tripped, but their number was not large.
They were repaired without delay. Investment in the transmission and distribution system is the reason why the KESC system did not collapse in the rains," he observed.
