Citizens continue to suffer due to power cuts as KE, SSGC argue over gas supply

The patience of Karachiites is wearing thin due to intermittent but incessant power outages in the sweltering summer.

The power issue has exacerbated the water shortage problem in the city as many people cannot operate their pumping machines in the absence of electricity. The issue of frequent power cuts, which was initially reported from the slum and underdeveloped areas of the city, have now engulfed the entire Karachi, including the upscale localities such as Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and PECHS.

Meanwhile, the blame game between K-Electric (KE), the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and federal and provincial governments continues without resolution. Citing reasons behind the load-shedding, KE, the sole power supplier to the city, said that they had been receiving 50 mmcfd RLNG less from the SSGC while the peak demand had crossed 3,450 megawatts in the city with the furnace oil also short in the market.

The SSGC, however, categorically refuted the KE’s claim and said that it had been supplying an additional 50 mmcfd RLNG to the power utility.

During this tussle between the gas and power utilities, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh lambasted the federal government for the power crisis in the city, saying that it has been the latter’s incompetence that has deprived the Karachi residents of power during the lockdown period when the power consumption in factories and markets is already low.

Public suffering

One of the cases of extreme misery was witnessed in Defence View Phase-I on Thursday where the power supply was intermittently cut for more than 24 hours with brief periods of resumption.

One of the residents told The News how there was power at his home for just 30 minutes and then there was no electricity for an indefinite period. Another resident of Defence View, Iqra, said even the UPS at their house could not help them as its battery soon discharged due to the continuous absence of power. She added that there was no generator at her home that could provide them relief during the hot summer day.

Sharing his plight, Maani Ali from DHA Phase- VIII said they had been enduring unannounced load-shedding three to four times a day. “Mostly after 12 midnight, there are two power outages of one-and-a-half hours,” he explained, adding that the load-shedding in his area was completely unjustified as there were no line losses in DHA.

He said there were no illegal connections there and most of the cables were already underground. “We don’t know why there are power failures of such long hours in Defence.”

Meanwhile, residents of areas such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and PECHS have also been facing frequent power outages that last for more than two hours. Those who are affected the most are the COVID-19 patients observing isolation and students taking online classes.

Shahid Faraz, a student of private university who lives in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, shared how every morning the load-shedding had been disrupting his online classes. “I am arranging money for buying a generator or UPS as I am facing immense loss on a daily basis,” he said.

In the meantime, several protests were held in different parts of the city against unabated load-shedding. Two protests were held on Shahabuddin Road and Albela Chowk on Thursday evening against prolonged power failure in these areas. A day earlier, a mob vandalised KE’s Valika grid station on Wednesday evening.

Sindh blames Centre

The Sindh energy minister took strong notice of the load-shedding in the city and said it was the incompetence of the federal government that had been making the people of Karachi suffer.

“Who is responsible for the shortage of furnace oil and gas?” he asked and demanded an inquiry into the matter. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) should inquire into why the furnace oil was not imported before summer, Sheikh said.

Due to the lockdown, he said, there was already a decline in business activities and low power consumption in factories. “Despite all this, the increase in the duration of load-shedding is sheer incompetence of the federal government,” he remarked, adding that there was fear of a further increase in COVID-19 patients in the city due to the load-shedding.

SSGC’s statement

The SSGC, in a statement, announced that it would supply additional gas to the power utility. It, however, maintained that KE had no dearth of gas. From 190 mmcfd, the SSGC said, it had increased the supply of gas to KE to 240 mmcfd.

An SSGC official said that due to the increase in temperature and shortage of furnace oil, additional 50 mmcfd was being supplied to the power utility.