KARACHI, July 9: The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation on Friday carried out unannounced loadshedding in many areas of the city to meet the shortfall in power supply.
A large number of people who called Dawn on Friday evening wondered why they had to experience multiple spells of power shutdown.
Those who called were from Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i- Iqbal, PECHS, Nazimabad, Defence, Federal B Area, Garden West, Malir, Federal B Area, Garden East, Clifton, Cantonment, Saddar, North Nazimabad and Liaquatabad.
A resident of Clifton, Block 4, phoned the Dawn office to say that the power breakdown in his locality was so long that even generators could not cope with it. "Our generator broke down after a prolonged spell of power breakdown. We live in a highrise and the power breakdown prevents us from using the elevator.
As a result, we have to climb up the stairs to get to our apartment on the eight floor," he said. A resident of Bahadurabad said, her locality - as well as neighbouring areas like Alamgir Road, Maqboolabad Cooperative Housing Society and Memon Society - experienced many power breakdowns everyday.
She said the power breakdowns last a couple of hours and occur several times a day. Another resident of the same area said that his locality lost its power supply a couple of times the previous night.
A resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Block 16, told Dawn that he had been without electricity since the Asr prayers, adding, had he known that there would be no electricity at home, he would not have returned from the mosque.
A resident of Federal B Area, Block 18, said that while his locality did not face power breakdowns, the voltage supply to his area remained very low. "In effect, we have a power breakdown when the voltage supply is very low.
Our electronic appliances do not work. Actually we switch them off, fearing that they will break down if we use them on a low voltage supply," he said. Another resident of the same area said he had lodged several complaints with their regional KESC centre about the low voltage supply.