As citizens continue to suffer, KE claims power supply is uninterrupted

While the K-Electric (KE) claimed on Thursday it had managed to keep the power supply intact in the city, people of Karachi continue to suffer hours-long loadshedding in the sweltering heat.

The KE said in a press statement that the temperature continued to soar in different parts of Pakistan, including Karachi, but the power supply remained intact in most parts of the city. According to Imran Rana, director communications and spokesperson at the K-Electric, the power supply to the city remained uninterrupted from at least 85 per cent of the feeders within the system, including 400 feeders that continued to provide steady power to all the industrial zones.

However, there were complaints of prolonged loadshedding from various areas, including North Karachi, Surjani Town, Shadman Town, Buffer Zone, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Lyari, Saddar, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Defense Housing Authority, Clifton, Boat Basin, Ibrahim Hyderi, II Chundrigar Road and Shah Faisal Town, where power outages continued to pile misery on the residents.

A resident of Buffer Zone, Ghania Ali, shared with The News that there wasn’t any power in their area the entire day. She said that they had to install a Rs55,000 UPS then and there as the weather was unbearable and they couldn’t survive without moving fans.

An Ayehsa Manzil dweller, Muhammad Ameen, said the Wednesday night was nothing but a nightmare for them. “We faced intermittent power failures in such a hot weather,” he said, adding that if the situation persisted they would have to resort to protests on roads.

Rana, on the other hand, denied any claims of 12-14 hours loadshedding in any part of its service areas and said: “While there is an evident surge in power demand as the mercury rises, K-Electric is undertaking all measures to provide maximum relief to its consumers. Currently, the power supply to the majority of K-Electric’s service areas remained completely stable. The area-wise schedule for all potentially affected consumers has been uploaded in advance on KE’s website. Moreover, KE issued preemptive messages to customers so that they remain apprised of their potential load shed timings.”

Shedding light on the KE’s efforts to manage the situation, he shared that a 24/7 crisis monitoring cell had been established under the leadership of the company’s chief distribution officer.

Comprising senior management and key members of the operations team, this cell is actively and closely monitoring the demand and supply situation and passing on instant relief to consumers.

Additionally, KE has engaged with civic agencies, local and provincial stakeholders to mount a joint response to the ongoing crisis. Going beyond its traditional role as a power utility, KE has also established camps in support with philanthropic organisations to offer respite to commuters on the road during peak daytime hours.

The KE spokesman advised citizens to remain hydrated with the maximum consumption of water while avoiding unnecessary and direct exposure to sunlight particularly during extreme hot hours from 11am to 4pm. The KE’s call center 118, SMS Service 8119, KE Live App, social media platforms, and WhatsApp Self Service Portal remain active 24/7 to support customers with their queries.