DERA GHAZI KHAN City News

Life amid low voltage, loadshedding
From Hasnain Qaisrani
DERA GHAZI KHAN: The persistent problem of low voltage has made the domestic consumers of Mepco’s Dera Ghazi Khan Circle helpless, as they are already facing 14 to 18 hours of loadshedding.
People believe that the low voltage issue, especially during the peak hours, is generated intentionally while the power supply gets normal during off-peak hours.
As per reports, the voltage drops from the standard 220 volts to an average ranging from 160 to 180 from 11am to 5pm (the period during which the maximum temperature reaches its peak). And the episode does not stop there as there is a second round from 8pm to 11pm, creating more troubles for the customers.
In this scenario, most of the electric appliances including refrigerators, air conditioners, water pumps, washing machines and even ceiling or pedestal fans could not run to the capacity. In many cases, these appliances are damaged causing financial loss to the people.
One of the customers Aftab Qadir Khetran told this scribe that due to the frequent fluctuation his refrigerator went out of order, as he was surprised to see the rush when he brought it to the workshop. He said “we have been facing extraordinary loadshedding but the situation becomes unbearable when voltage is dropped.”
Another citizen Zain Chaudhry said the outdated installations of Wapda (Mepco) in the city and the rural areas had not been replaced even though they had completed their physical life. That was the reason why thousands of power consumers were facing the chronic issue, he added.
On the other hand, a Mepco official said low voltage was being reported in the areas where the load (power consumption) was much more from the authorised limit. They were trying their best to improve the existing networking in the densely populated areas as well as in the localities from where the complaints were being received, he added. He also refuted the impression that the low voltage problem was created intentionally.
However, the power consumers said they had to spend hefty amount on repairing the electric appliances and the losses caused by low voltage. They added that the authorities should take the prompt measures for replacing obsolete installations to resolve the serious issue.