KARACHI, July 24: Citizens in various localities experienced intermittent power failures on Monday as the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation resorted to loadshedding due to power shortage and the overheating of the weak distribution system.
Acknowledging both the problems, Managing Director of the utility Frank Scherschmidt said that the unit No.6 at Bin Qasim Power Plant was out of service and expected to be functional by Tuesday. The KESC was faced with a shortfall of 250-300 megawatts on Monday and had to opt for a group-wise loadshedding of one hour on a rotation basis across the city.
He said loadshedding in each group was being repeated every three to four hours.
Briefing media about the power situation at his office here, he said that due to the system constraints, the loadshedding was carried out at Mauripur and Elander Road grid stations and all areas connected to these grids were experiencing power suspension.
Besides, due to overheating, the loadshedding would be carried out at the grid stations of Liaquatabad, Civic Centre, Nazimabad, Vlika, Orangi, North Karachi, Federal A Area and Federal B Area.
He said that the Hubco-Baldia link which had gone out of service on Sunday, could not be restored as yet.
However, he added, both the links of the Jamshoro-KDA circuit were functional and Wapda was supplying power through these two links.
Blaming KESC workers once again for the disruption in power supply, Mr Frank said that snapping of wires and other problems could become a cause if the utility’s privatisation failed.
He said that the management was working on the issue and exploring the options to solve the problem.
Earlier, at his press conference on July 3, he had accused some internal and external elements of working together to carry out sabotage activity, adding: “We are probing into this matter to identify those working against the interest of the organisation.”
About the KESC plan to install a power plant at the Korangi Thermal Power Station, he said that civil work had been started for the purpose. He, however, evaded the questions whether an order for acquiring the plant had been placed and when would it be purchased.
According to a report in a section of press, the KESC was bringing in a 19-year old power plant with 29 per cent efficiency while a new power plant could cost it lesser.
Mr Frank claimed that the private management would invest Rs20 billion, which included the cost of the 480 megawatts power plant to be installed and made functional next year. He said that an extra high-tension overhead line between Haroonabad and Liaquatabad grids would be erected at a cost of Rs124 million. After this, the problem of low voltage in these areas would stand solved and consumers would get a stable supply, he added.
About the poor performance of complaint centres, he said that all 100 centres would be connected through computers so that they could be aware of the latest situation and could satisfy consumers.Meanwhile, complaints of intermittent power failures were received on Monday from North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, North Karachi, Federal B Area, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and other areas.
The complainants said that electricity continued to play hide-and-seek all the day like it did on the previous night, denying them a sound sleep.
The people of the areas which were not overloaded also complained of intermittent breakdowns and prolonged cuts in power supply.
An irate consumer from Block-5, Clifton, said that power went off for five hours in the morning. It was again suspended for two hours in the afternoon and in the night.
A woman consumer from Defence Phase V complained of an unannounced loadshedding. “We have been experiencing a two-hour loadshedding after every hour, despite the fact that the KESC was getting adequate supply from Wapda now,” she said.
A consumer from Phase VI, Defence, said that his area was without electricity the whole day on Sunday and on Monday also, power went off thrice for a two-hour spell each time.
