KARACHI, July 18 The first heavy monsoon showers on Saturday snapped at least 68 live electricity cables, affected nine grid stations and nearly 300 electricity distribution feeders in different localities, disrupting the power supply to a vast area of the metropolis.

The Karachi Electric Supply Company declared a red alert and called back employees on leave to deal with the rain emergency situation.

Consumers were asked to demonstrate patience during the interruptions caused by rains, with the KESC making it clear that certain faults can only be located and repaired when the rain stops.

“Working on rain-soaked cables and poles can be dangerous for the employees whose safety is also a matter of great importance for the KESC management,” an official said.

The power utility spokesman claimed that its grid stations at North Karachi, airport, Nazimabad, Orangi, Valika, Hub Chowki, Vinder, Uthal and Bela were affected by the rain in the morning.

Chief Operating Officer of the KESC Jan Abbas Zaidi said that out of over 1,100 feeders, only 271 feeders had tripped and most of them were restored within no time. Work was under way on 84 feeders and to remove cable faults reported at Defence-Queens Road circuit, Baldia-Hub Chowki circuit, Sector 12-A North Karachi, Gulshan-i-Zia, Orangi, Old Sabzi Mandi, Quaidabad, Malir, Federal B. Area and Nazimabad Block No 2.

Mr Zaidi said that a day after the suspension of power supplies from the independent power producer (Gul Ahmed) and the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant another independent power producer (Tapal) tripped, though the latter resumed functioning on Saturday evening.

Prolonged power outages also crippled industrial activities, particularly in Federal B Area, in the city.