THERE was a time when Islamabad, being the capital city, would not have power failures. The situation has, however, changed over the last few years. Now the slightest of rainfall, a thunderstorm worth its name or even a strong wind blowing means power supply getting disconnected almost immediately.

I am certain that the situation must be worse in other parts of the country. Being a well-planned city and with a rapid increase in population over the years, it was assumed that the Islamabad city administration would have also planned for additional power supply to match the increase in the consumption rate.

However, this was not done by the local authorities. I am fully aware of the fact that the overall power generation and distribution capacity of our country is less than the demand. I am also willing to add to the equation the power losses due to substandard high tension wiring system and the phenomenon of power theft. Still there is no excuse for undeclared power stoppages, especially during the winter months when the consumption is much less.

The public is always made to suffer due to inefficient load management.

The frequency of power failures is also increasing with every passing day, causing immense inconvenience to a large number of people, especially to those who do not have generators.

Cdre (retd) Sajjad Ali Shah Bokhari
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2021