Power cuts, traffic jams in several areas as post-monsoon rain batters city

Rain lashed the city on Tuesday afternoon, turning weather pleasant, but many areas faced power cuts as it started raining. According to the Met department, it rained 27mm in Surjani Town, 14.7 at Jinnah International Airport, 13mm at University Road, 21.5mm in North Karachi and 21mm in Gulshan-e-Hadid.

According to Met Office director Sardar Sarfaraz, there are more than 70 percent chances of moderate rainfall, and in some parts it may even rain heavily. He did not rule out the possibility of urban flooding in the metropolis and said rains may continue until September 30.

“Rain thunder shower is expected at isolated places in districts of lower Sindh such as Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Badin, Thatta, Dadu and Karachi on Wednesday and Thursday,” said a press statement from Pakistan Metrological Department.

The thunderstorm, according to the statement, may continue until Monday with isolated heavy rainfall at scattered places of lower Sindh, including Karachi. Monday’s unexpected spell in Karachi occurred when it started raining in some areas, including Malir, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, University Road and its adjoining areas, North Karachi, Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Nazimabad.

Karachi had been in the grip of a mild heat wave since Saturday as the temperature remained near 40 degrees Celsius. When the sun rose on Monday, the sea breeze had stopped blowing and the temperature started rising.

The mercury had reached 38 degrees Celsius before the rain, the PMD officials said, adding that due to high humidity, the feel-like temperature was higher than the actual temperature.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), in their press statement, said that the board was making special measures for the drainage of sewage during the rainfall. The board asked the citizens not to remove caps of gutters and manholes for the drainage of rainwater, as it might lead to any unfortunate incident.

Traffic jams

Power cuts were reported from different areas of the city on Tuesday, soon after the rain started. Heavy traffic jams were witnessed in different parts of the city, especially on Sharea Faisal, as people tried to rush to their homes following the rain. The accumulation of rainwater on different roads of the city slowed down the traffic movement.

KE’s response

The K-electric (KE) in a press statement said that in light of the renewed spell of monsoons, the power utility reiterated the need for safety during rainy weather and urged the people to adopt necessary precautionary measures to avoid any safety hazards.

“The power utility remains committed to ensuring the reliability and stability of the power network and has already placed its teams on high-alert.” Rain-preparedness measures undertaken by the KE include preventive maintenance, network-wide inspections of the power infrastructure, kunda-removal drives, along with the installation of aerial bundled cables.

The [ower supply may also be suspended to areas which are prone to urban flooding or have a higher prevalence of illegal kundas, in the interest of public safety, according to the statement.

The power utility has initiated large-scale public safety awareness campaigns across multiple mediums highlighting the importance of maintaining a safe distance from any electrical infrastructure as well as reiterating the careful use of electrical equipment inside homes.

People are advised to stay away from power infrastructure, including poles, transformers and power lines. Standing under transformers, billboards or leaning against poles or trees close to power infrastructure should be avoided at all times, and especially during situations of waterlogging and urban-flooding. Children in particular should be cautioned from playing near electricity installations.

The utility also categorically condemns the illegal abstraction of power, including the use of kundas, as this is the leading cause of electrical contact incidents during monsoon and urges all concerned stakeholders, including community representatives, to help educate masses in this regard and support the KE’s efforts to combat this menace.

“KE would like to reiterate that safety of the citizens and the provision of all vital and essential services is a combined responsibility of all civic entities; the challenging environment provided to the power utility, rampant with encroachments and plagued by poor civic infrastructure including a choked storm water drainage system, severely impacts the utility’s ability to supply power safely and reliably.

“KE has been continuously engaged with local administration, provincial and federal government bodies for coordinated efforts to cope with the challenges it encounters during and after rain to ensure reliable and safe supply of electricity as well as swift restoration efforts.

“The power utility looks forward to close coordination with all civic bodies and hopes that they will provide KE with an enabling environment so that it can enhance service delivery in the best interests of the people of Karachi.”

During the brief rain spell in Karachi on Tuesday, the K-Electric Rapid Response Teams immediately responded to emerging faults to restore the power supply to affected areas swiftly.

The power supply was put off in some areas of North Karachi, Bin Qasim, Korangi and parts of Baldia as a safety precaution; however, the overall power situation across the city, including at all strategic locations like the KWSB pumping stations, as well as across other parts of Johar Gulshan, Lyari, Bahadurabad, old town and Saddar remained unaffected.

Customers may reach the KE via its call center at 118, via SMS to 8119 or via email at cutomer.care@ke.com.pk. Queries can also be directed to the power utility’s social media platforms as well as the utility’s newly launched KE Live mobile app.