KARACHI, July 22: The few drops of drizzle that the city received in the early hours of Monday sent as many as 60 feeders of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation reeling.

A spokesman for the power utility told Dawn on Monday that following the morning drizzle, feeders had tripped in Defence, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Landhi and PECHS.

“Because the KESC staff was already alert and because some pre-monsoon steps had already been taken by the KESC, the drizzle failed to affect the transmission and distribution system as adversely as it did last year,” he said.

He added that at least 25 feeders had been rehabilitated immediately while the remaining feeders had been normalized by 1pm. “The reason why it took the KESC so long to rectify the feeders was that their tripping had been accompanied by wire snapping as well. The areas thus affected were Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 3 and 7, North Nazimabad, Block B, PECHS, Block 2, and Defence, Phase 4.

The KESC spokesman said that a six-feeder shutdown in Baldia Town had been because of wire snapping between KESC and Tapal, an independent power producer. Hesaid the feeder providing electricity to KDA, Scheme No 1, had also been affected by the drizzle but the KESC had promptly back-fed the area — that is provided electricity to it through another feeder.

He explained that the first rain of a season always wreaked havoc on the transmission and distribution system of the KESC. “What happens is that dust already settled on the overhead lines of the power utility becomes ionized when drops of rain fall upon it. This results in short circuit which, in turn, forces a feeder to trip as a precautionary measure.”

The KESC spokesman added that prolonged power breakdowns in some blocks of Federal B Area had been because of the tree pruning exercise being carried out by the power utility. “These breakdowns should not be confused with the power breakdowns caused by feeder tripping following the early morning drizzle.” He said on Tuesday the tree pruning exercise would continue in Block 3 of Federal B Area.