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City suffers prolonged power cut as tripping stops supply from national grid

By Our Correspondent
November 13, 2018

Multiple areas of the city plunged into darkness on early Monday morning as a transmission line connecting the national grid with K-Electric (KE) tripped.

The KE claimed on Twitter that a 500 kilovolt transmission line connecting the power utility to the national grid had tripped which severely disrupted the power supply in Karachi and caused power outage in many areas.

According to the power utility, the tripping was caused due to adverse weather conditions. This was the third major power breakdown within 30 days in Karachi. It affected the areas of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Clifton, North Nazimabad, Malir, Garden, Jahangir Road, Buffer Zone, PECHS, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Mehmoodabad, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Bahadurabad and Defence. Many hospitals of the city were also hit by the power breakdown.

The power breakdown occurred at around 6 am and continued for several hours. The power restoration in the city started at around 10:30 am; however, the complete resumption was achieved at around 3pm.

"Partial supply from the national grid has resumed and restoration of power supply to affected areas is progressing swiftly. Supply to parts of Korangi, Garden, Jacob Line, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan, Defence, Gizri and Landhi has started," the KE tweeted around four hours after the tripping.

The prolonged power cut in the morning caused immense troubles for the residents of Karachi as schoolchildren and employed persons had to wake up and leave their homes in the absence of power. The power breakdown also affected water supply to the city.

Later, speaking to The News, a KE spokesperson said power supply to the city had been almost restored and teams were on standby to deal with any similar situation. The power utility also issued a statement in the evening in which it claimed that partial power supply from the national grid of around 200 megawatts was initiated within three hours of the tripping; however, the complete supply was restored by 3pm.

All the strategic installations falling in the affected areas were restored on a priority basis. The KE also provided power for a few hours to the Port Qasim Coal Power Plant connected to the national grid.

NTDC to submit report

Taking notice of the major power breakdown in Karachi, the power division of the energy ministry sought reports from the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) and KE, reported Geo News.

The NTDC was instructed to submit a report on the matter within 24 hours. Karachi experienced five major power breakdowns last month within the span of 25 days. The frequent incidents of major power cuts also prompted the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to take notice of the situation.

In a statement issued, Nepra alleged that the KE was not investing to improve its transmission and distribution network, causing frequent power supply disruptions in the city. Blame game ensues almost every time when such major power outages hit the city. The KE is blamed for not improving its infrastructure, while the power utility, on its part, shifts blame to faults in the national grid.

Such unforeseen power cuts also exacerbate the ongoing water crisis in the city as people are unable to run water pumping motors at their homes when water is being supplied. The unexpected power breakdowns also frequently cause major water pipelines at the Dhabeji and other pumping stations to burst after which the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board is unable to supply water to the city.