Unscheduled power outages return to haunt Pindiites

Loadshedding on hottest day of the season so far results in acute water shortage in many localities

Rawalpindi

In hottest day of this season so far when the mercury rose to 46 degree Celsius, the unfortunate residents of different localities of the city faced long hours of unscheduled electricity loadshedding, which resulted in acute water  shortage.

The residents of different city and cantonment board localities particularly Adiala Road, Defence Road, Nadir Street, Munawar Colony, Al-Mumtaz Colony, Dhoke Juma, Tulsa and Gulistan Colony had to face long hours of unscheduled loadshedding and worst kind of water scarcity. The residents of Nadir Street at Adiala Road faced complete black out due to out of order transformer. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) did not restore the electricity of the area till the filing of this report. On the other hand the tanker mafia was also taking full advantage of this situation and selling a water tanker at Rs800 against Rs600. 

Similarly, the residents of rural areas particularly Rawat, Kalar, Chak Beli Khan, Golra, Shah Allah Ditta, Jhangi Syedan, Gora Syedan and Humak Town have been facing 10 to 12 hours of loadshedding for some days.

‘The News’ has also learnt that a number of electricity transformers in the city and cantonment boards went out of order during last three days.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director Dr Muhammad Hanif told ‘The News’ that temperature would continuously rise in May.

The residents of Tench Bhatta, Mughalabad, Azizabad, Peshawar Road, Naseerabad, Misrial Road, Saddar, Allama Iqbal Colony, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Stadium Road, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal, Fauji Colony, Pirwadhai, Railway Carriage Factory area, Chirah Road, Khurram Colony, Afandi Colony and Khayaban-i-Sir Syed are also facing long hours of loadshedding for some days and facing water shortage as well.

Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (Iesco) Executive Engineer Muhammad Khashif Shah has admitted that people were facing unscheduled loadshedding. “We are facing electricity shortfall that’s why there is unscheduled loadshedding,” he said. He has also admitted that some transformers went out of order due to hot weather. My staff is continuously trying to provide electricity of public, he assured.

Talking to ‘The News’ residents of different localities of Rawalpindi said that it was very difficult for them to bear the hot weather without electricity and drinking water as they could not sleep in the night.

Naveed Ahmed, a resident of Adiala Road said they were facing water shortage for the last many days and were left with no choice but to buy water tanker at Rs800 to Rs900 per tanker. He appealed to the higher authorities to install some tube wells in these areas to control water shortage.

Another resident of Defence Road, Tariq Mehmood, said water was not available in the mosques and the people had to do ablution at homes.

District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ) Assistant Medical Superintendent Dr. Aijaz Sohail said that people particularly children should avoid scorching heat. They should use sunglasses and use excessive water to avoid dehydration and school going children should use caps while going and coming from schools to avoid direct sunlight, he added.

The markets and roads presented a deserted look because of the hot weather. People gathered around stalls of cold drinks to quench their thirst.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) officials told this scribe that as many as 100 to 150 complaints were being received daily about water shortage in different localities. They also claimed that they were try to address all complaints but it was not possible for them to supply water to all the complainants due to shortage of water tankers.

Meanwhile, school children are facing water shortage in majority of government and private educational institutions. Dozens of school children also suffered from nose bleeding because of hot weather.