Karachi heat

Any respite from prolonged loadshedding in Karachi proved illusory as temperatures hit a scorching 44 degrees Celsius this week. Predictably, a K-Electric power plant tripped, causing an even greater power shortage. 

Come rain or shine, the one constant is that the crumbling power infrastructure in Karachi is unable to handle extreme weather conditions. 

This latest breakdown came just a week after Sui Southern Gas restored the original supply of gas to K-Electric, creating a short-lived hope that citizens of the metropolis may be spared regular loadshedding. As hot as it is in Karachi, such temperatures are not outside the norm for the city in summer.

 This should have been something K-Electric was prepared for. It seems as if the utility company needs perfect weather conditions, when demand for electricity is lower, to keep the power on. 

All promises it made of eliminating regular cuts by improving the infrastructure to reduce tripping and electricity loss have come to naught. The rationale for privatising K-Electric was that the profit incentive would spur it to innovate. 

K-Electric may be profitable but it has achieved this by wringing every last rupee out of those consumers who pay bills, while not investing sufficiently in an overhaul of Karachi’s electrical grid.

The summer promises to be a long one and there is no indication that other essential service providers are any better prepared than K-Electric.

 The city government should be ensuring the provision of clean drinking water at spots around the city for labourers and others who have to work in the heat. Hospitals need to be prepared to deal with a sudden influx of patients suffering from heatstroke. 

We all remember the heatwave of 2015 that claimed more than a thousand lives in Sindh. 

Back then, the heatwave occurred during the month of Ramazan and the government did nothing to educate those who are fasting about ways to avoid dehydration and other heat-related physical problems. 

Now, Ramazan is less than a fortnight away and the government cannot be as blasé again. The current heatwave is expected to end next week but we can be sure there will be more to come later this summer. If the experience of Karachi’s residents this time is any indication, there will be a lot of misery and suffering ahead.