Light rain causes electricity breakdown across Karachi

Karachi witnessed an electricity breakdown after light rain in the city on Friday morning. The affected areas included Sharea Faisal, Malir, Federal B Area, Nazimabad, II Chundrigar Road, Safoora Goth, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Defence, North Karachi and North Nazimabad.

However, according to a press statement issued by the K-Electric (KE), power supply was restored swiftly after a brief interruption in some areas due to the rain. The power supply to some parts of the city that saw a brief interruption due to intermittent showers on Friday morning was restored on priority basis, said the statement.

They said the affected areas included some parts of Bahadurabad, Tariq Road, Safoora Chowrangi, Lucky Star, North Karachi, Baldia and a few pockets of Saddar, Landhi and Orangi. A KE spokesperson said: “KE teams remained fully alert following the prediction of rain and responded swiftly to restore electricity to the affected areas. Power supply to strategic installations, including key hospitals, the Karachi Water & Sewage Board’s pumping stations and the airport remained unaffected throughout.”

The power utility regretted the inconvenience caused to its customers due to the inclement weather. It advised the consumers to stay away from any broken wires, electrical poles and transformers, especially during rainy and windy weather. They said that KE teams were available round the clock to address any localised faults, and that customers could reach out to their call centres on 118 or via text message on 8119. “Customers can also direct their queries to the KE’s social media platforms or through the KE Live app.”

Meanwhile, residents of different areas complained of having intermittent power supply throughout the day. Faraz Khan, a resident of FB Area, said that he had been facing power breakdowns since Friday morning and they continued into the night.

Residents of Gulistan-e-Jauhar also faced the same problem. Power supply was not restored until late in the evening in Block-1 of the neighbourhood. Arsalan Ahmed, a resident of the locality, shared that there was no power in the area until dusk.

More light rain

The early morning spell of light rain and drizzle turned the weather pleasant in the city on Friday, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), adding that there were also chances of occasional light rain and drizzle in different parts of the city on Saturday.

“The entire coastal belt of Sindh is covered by sea clouds and when they become dense enough, light rain or drizzle occurs early morning or after sunset in these days. We are expecting a similar situation in Karachi on Saturday also, with chances of light rain and drizzle in early morning, while the temperature is expected to remain between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius,” an official of the PMD said.

Different areas of the city witnessed light rain and drizzle on early Friday morning, PMD officials in Karachi said, adding that 2mm of rain was recorded at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Faisal, 1.8mm at Saddar, 1.5mm at University Road and 1mm at the PAF Base Masroor, while other parts of the city received traces of rain.