ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: In the prevailing cold wave, the residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as well as Azad Kashmir will have to bear long spells of power loadshedding in the coming days.

According to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), loadshedding would be carried out seven times a day with the duration of 30 minutes. It means that the residents would have to bear the situation three to three-and-a-half hours in a day.

The company announced that if the situation further deteriorated, the duration of loadshedding could be increased by an hour in densely populated areas instead of half an hour. In this case, people of thickly populated localities would have to face loadshedding six to seven hours a day.

In view of the current electricity shortage in the country, an Iesco spokesman appealed for cooperation and hoped that the situation would be improved till January 15 by increasing hydel power generation.

The residents have already been suffering gas loadshedding in the current cold season which usually occurs after sunset, when they need better heating arrangements in their houses.

The loadshedding of electricity would not create poor heating problems but it would cause water shortage because the output of tubewells would reduce during power suspension.

The Iesco spokesman said the shortage of water in Mangla and Tarbela, reduction in gas supply and destruction of Hubco tower during violence after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto had caused low power generation.

He said the situation had created an unusual gap between demand and supply of electricity in the country.

In view of the situation, he added, the National Power Control Centre of Wapda had enhanced loadshedding quota for Iesco under which it would save 80 MW from midnight to 6am, 200 MW during 6am and 4pm, 240 MW from 4pm to 5pm, 360 MW from 5pm to 9pm and 170 MW from 9pm to midnight.