The extreme warmth that Karachi has been experiencing has made K-Electric’s power delivery system vulnerable. Daily life has been interrupted by widespread outages, which in certain places have left locals without electricity for as long as sixteen hours.
The strain has been too much for the city’s electrical infrastructure, which is damaged by old and rusted PMTs and feeders. Copper thieves have made matters worse by breaking into the system, causing frequent overloads and tripping. Unannounced load-shedding, ostensibly for fault correction and repair, has made life in Karachi even more difficult for the locals.
The sick, old, kids, and women are the most impacted, and K-Electric’s seeming disregard during this heatwave has put their health at risk. Businesses and industries are also being negatively impacted; daily financial losses totaling millions of rupees are being caused by hourly load-shedding.
Given their continuous power outages, many locals find it impossible to believe K-Electric’s claim that 70% of the city is still free from load-shedding despite the crisis. The 3 crore residents of Karachi are still irritated by the power company’s position that supply is dependent on recovery and losses.
