Karachi suffers yet another major power breakdown

Residents of Karachi endured a major power breakdown on Saturday that affected several areas of the city.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) could not supply millions of gallons of water to the residents owing to the abrupt shutdown of its main Dhabeji and Pipri pumping stations caused by the prolonged power breakdown in the city.

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said in a statement that all the efforts of the provincial government and the KWSB to ensure an uninterrupted water supply to the people were ruined due to the unsatisfactory performance of the KE.

The minister appealed to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority and the federal government to immediately seek an explanation from the KE over frequent citywide power breakdowns causing immense disturbance to the water supply system in the city.

According to Ghani, four main pumping lines of the KWSB ruptured while two heavy pumping motors at the Dhabeji and Pipri pumping stations broke down because of the abrupt shutdown of power supply. It was the fourth such incident of power failure in the city in a short span of 20 days.

The minister lamented that the KWSB had to incur expenses to the tune of millions of rupees to repair faulty heaving pumping motors. People of the city have become the ultimate sufferers due to frequent instances of prolonged electricity breakdown, Ghani said, adding that frequent power suspension intensified water crisis in the city.

CM takes notice

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also took notice of the several hours long power breakdown in various parts of the city on Saturday. He directed Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh to immediately contact the KE to ensure swift resumption of power supply.

In a statement, the CM said such instances of power breakdown had been causing immense hardships for the people and paralysing economic activities in the city. Shah also ordered the KWSB to keep its water supply system in the city up and running during such prolonged power breakdown in Karachi.

KE’s clarification

The power utility, in its clarification, passed the buck for power breakdown to some fault in a transmission line of the national grid. The KE claimed that power supply was restored in Karachi after a brief interruption.

The sudden disruption in the power supply to Karachi from the national grid had a rollover effect on local circuits, the KE said. According to the power utility, power was promptly restored by the national grid while KE plants landed safely in ‘island mode’ that helped catalyse the restoration process. The KE also claimed that it maintained close coordination with the authorities concerned during the breakdown.

According to a KE spokesperson, “KE has invested over US$ 2 billion since 2009 across the entire value chain whereas around US$ 500 million was invested alone to expand and rehabilitate its transmission network”. The power utility also regretted the incovenience caused to its customers during the power outage.

JI for KE nationalisation

Censuring the KE for frequent massive power breakdowns in the city, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) demanded that the privately owned power utility be again nationalised.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, JI Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman condemned frequent power outages that crippled a large area of the city and worsened the water crisis. He said the KE owed Rs200 billion to national institutions and the residents of Karachi because of overbilling, unpaid dues and other reasons.

The JI city chief also asked the Supreme Court to fix the party’s petition on the matter for hearing before it was late.

“The power utility has been sold twice to private firms. A forensic audit of all its operation, especially of the accounts and finance, be done and a judicial commission be set to [investigate its shortcomings],” Rehman said. Demanding the nationalisation of the KE, he said, “First of all, the utility be taken into national fold”.

The JI leader warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led federal government that if the latter raised power tariffs, the JI will take to the streets in a “strong reaction and will pose resistance”.