HYDERABAD, July 6: People passed a sleepless night after a heavy downpour in the city on Wednesday which severely affected the supply of power and water.

The power breakdown continued till Thursday morning.

Patients were worst-sufferers because of non-supply of electricity in the civil and Bhittai hospitals since Wednesday evening.

Almost all sub-divisions of Hesco, Gari Khata, Cantonment, Sarfaraz and Hirabad, were hit by electricity breakdown.

The power outage disrupted water supply from old and new filter plants and other waterworks of the Water and Sanitation Agency.

“Electric supply is quite erratic at the new filter plant. Yesterday’s breakdown badly affected water supply because a major part of the city is linked with the new filter plant”, said a Wasa official.

He said that there was fluctuation of power supply in the plant since morning.

“The cycle of water supply gets totally reversed once a power shutdown takes place for several hours because chlorination, filtration and lifting process comes to a halt” he said.

The taluka municipal administration staff cleared rainwater at the main points of the city and open choked sewerage lines yet water remained stagnant in some areas.

Filth and accumulation of rainwater created unhygienic conditions in Sabzi Mandi.

Fruit and vegetable sellers sold their goods on the Gharib Nawaz bridge.

The rainwater also entered the commission agents’ shops in Sabzi Mandi.

A spokesman of Hesco claimed that three big towers of high transmission lines collapsed near the Indus River at location numbers 23, 24 and 25 because of powerful windstorm on Wednesday.

It led to suspension of power supply to areas of Hyderabad, Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Thatta, Kotri and Jamshoro.

“The exact cost can not be disclosed by the department concerned but Hesco is believed to have suffered a major monetary loss in terms of damage of these towers and several 11 KV poles elsewhere in the district and its surroundings”, said the spokesman.

He attributed last night’s power breakdown to collapsing of towers and a fault in 160MVA breaker of 220 KV Hala Nako grid station.

He said that power supply was restored to 90 per cent areas of the city on Thursday.

“There has been no power supply throughout the night in our area ever since first drop of rain”, said Farooq, a resident of American quarters.

He said that complaints were lodged with Hesco authorities but in vain.

Another resident of Liaquat colony Faheemuddin said that electricity supply was also affected in Liaquat colony and Noorani Basti and people passed sleepless night.

The meteorological department predicted rains and storm at few places in the city.

The Met office recorded temperature at 38 degree centigrade and 24 Celsius at the minimum.

PROTEST: Residents of Allah Rakhio Solangi village held a protest demonstration along with body of a woman on the Hala Nako road.