Pakistan: Residents in Punjab province face power outages amid heatwave

Islamabad, July 2 (IANS) Residents in Pakistan’s Punjab province are facing hardships due to unannounced power outages amid scorching temperatures, local media reported on Thursday.

Business owners and residents said that they were facing power cuts for several hours amid the heatwave. Residents have also reported that their electronic appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions and water motors have been damaged due to repeated power outages, low voltage and power fluctuations, leading Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.

People living in the Gulberg, Green Town, Johar Town, Baghbanpura, Township, Garden Town, China Scheme, Anarkali and Baghbanpura said that they were facing persistent power interruptions and unstable voltage and long time was taken to restore power supply. Residents of suburban areas and other cities served by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) also reported unscheduled power outages.

Several residents have questioned LESCO over power outages despite the utility’s assurance that there is adequate electricity available to meet the demand. LESCO has claimed that there is no declared or undeclared load-shedding in Lahore. It stated that power cuts were limited to scheduled shutdowns for development work and high-loss feeders instead of electricity shortage.

However, separate reports cited a shortfall ranging between 500MW and 800MW, indicating that electricity demand had reached to over 4,750MW while supply from the National Power Control Centre was at approximately 4,200MW, with rise in technical faults due to the severe heat.

Earlier in June, residents in Pakistan’s Karachi faced difficulties due to electricity outages during Ashura.

K-Electric had claimed that it has exempted several areas from scheduled loadshedding till Muharram 11. However, people in many areas had to use alternate options to ensure electricity during religious gatherings, Pakistan-based daily Dawn reported.

Large parts of the city, including Saddar, Burns Road, Lyari, Clifton, Defence Housing Authority, Federal B. Area, North Karachi, Liaquatabad, Malir, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Orangi Town, Keamari and Baldia Town faced prolonged power cuts.

Although K-Electric claimed that the power supply remained “uninterrupted” as per schedule, however, local residents complained of power outages in several areas.

–IANS

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