Pakistan: Karachi Facing Massive Power Outage Thanks To Illegal Electricity Sales

KARACHI: The miseries of the Karachi residents have been exacerbated by the prolonged power outages and electricity theft in the region, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported. Extended power outages and electricity theft in nearby areas have worsened the hardships faced by residents of North Karachi. Many are complaining that they have to face around 12 hours of power cuts.

Residents namely; Muhammad Tariq, Farooq Khan, and Babar, noted that power cuts occur from 7:00 am to 8:30 am, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm, and from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm. Additionally, there are many occasional power suspensions from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. Most residents in these areas happen to be labourers. They had to suffer a lot when they return home after a long day, and encounter power outages in the sweltering heat.

When electricity is restored at 1:30 am, they struggle to fill their water supply and go to bed around 4:00 am to 5:00 am. This disruption severely impacts their work the next day. Additionally, the school children also incur difficulty in completing their homework. The unscrupulous elements in the power utility have allowed illegal sale of electricity through cables running from the North Karachi Industrial Area to nearby slums. There is no loadsheding in the industrial zone, according to The Express Tribune.

The "criminal elements" supply electricity to over 250 homes using illegal connections, known as "kunda." They charge an upfront fee of PKR 10,000 in advance and PKR 3,000 per month for each house. Notably, Karachi has faced several problems regarding electricity supply to the city. As the demand increases and the existing infrastructure struggles to support the demand, there continue to be issues with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.

Karachi Electric (KE) is the main electricity utility in the area, but the electricity sector has been plagued by several issues: ageing infrastructure, insufficient finances, and sometimes poor management of the utility. Although steps have been made to mitigate the issues: financing new electrical facilities, implementing new regulations, etc., these steps more often than not take time before being fully put into place and completed.