LARKANA, March 17: The Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company (Hesco) is carrying out six to eight hours long unannounced load-shedding in almost all the districts of the province, citing major shortfall in power generation as the reason.

In Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, six-hour long unannounced power breakdown just before summer in every power subdivision has become a routine.

It is often next to impossible to trace Hesco officials concerned and if one happens to reach them by chance he hears the readymade reply that a ‘fault’ has developed, which will be rectified soon.

The officials find refuge behind the simple answer that ‘main supply’ has been suspended and that they do not know when the power will be restored again.

The load-shedding has forced majority of rice mills in both the districts to switch over to generators. Hospitals are perhaps the worst affected because majority of them has no alternate arrangement for power supply.

There are similar reports of prolonged power breakdowns from Shahdadkot, Qambar, Warah, Ratodero, Dokri and their adjoining areas. Power supply was suspended in Shahdadkot from 11.30am to 4.00 pm. In Qambar, eight-hour long load-shedding has become a common practice and midnight power outage in Larkana city had become a daily practice.

The cell-phone numbers mentioned in power bills go either unattended or remain powered off. Loose wiring poses a grave danger to people in the city. Two people got entangled in live wires, which were hanging to the ground, near Rice Canal last week.

In Sukkur and neighbouring areas, six to eight hours long unannounced load-shedding has paralysed normal life and business activities. The protracted outages also lead to shortage of drinking water and cause multiplication of problems.

The officials at the local grid station told this scribe that, according to schedule, two-hour load-shedding in 24 hours was allowed in the city, but people were made to face six to eight hours of power outages.

They said that the authorities at Power Dispatch Centre and Regional Control Centre Hyderabad simultaneously cut power to all the three grid stations of the city, plunging the entire city and its adjoining areas in darkness.

An officer at Regional Control Centre Hyderabad who gave only Shakeel as his first name said without disclosing his responsibilities said that Wapda authorities at Islamabad had ordered them to cut power to grid stations due to shortfall in power generation.

When asked about total shortfall, he refused to disclose the figure saying that he had been directed by his high-ups not to give any details to media. Hesco’s executive engineer of operations and superintendent engineer of operations Sukkur could not be reached for comment.

In Nawabshah, people continued to suffer from unannounced power outages over the past couple of days. Power supply remains suspended for at least six to eight hours daily without any prior information.

Hesco staff at the local grid station said that they were carrying out two to three hours load-shedding as per schedule and directives issued by high-ups. The outage period prolonged due to failure of main supply, they said.

In Mirpurkhas and its adjoining districts, people had to bear 12-hour long power breakdown, which badly affected daily life and water supply.

Power supply to Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tando Allahyar and Tharparkar remained suspended from at 8 am to 8 pm. Officials at Power Dispatch Centre cited a shortage of 300 megawatts as reason for the power outage. The worst affected areas included Mirpurkhas, Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Tando Jan Mohammad, Jhuddo, Naukot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Umerkot, Samaro, Pithoro, Phuladiyoon, Sindhri, Kunri, Sufi Faqeer, Shadi Palli, Dhoro Naro, Khaan, Jhillori, Khipro, Tando Allahyar, Mithi, Diplo, Chhachhro, Islamkot, Nagarparkar and Chelhar.