Karachi:K-Electric is committed to not just provide uninterrupted electricity but also empower and uplift under-privileged communities as part of its Project Sarbulandi. In continuation of this vision, Warsia Colony, located in Orangi Town – the largest slum in Asia, has been exempted from load-shed. Previously the area was subject to 7.5 hours of scheduled load-shed per day, owing to high propensity for power theft and low rates of recovery.
Load-shed in areas with rampant power theft is part of the National Power Policy and theft reduction results in improved quality of life for area residents through improved access to power. In the case of a school located near Dua Chowk, Adytum Public Academy, student enrollment grew from 75 to 400 following the conversion to theft-resistant Aerial Bundled Cable (ABC) and subsequent power theft reduction leading to load-shed exemption.
According to a KE spokesperson, “Under Project Sarbulandi, our teams have successfully converted 22 out of 32 feeders in the area to ABC, which is not only theft-resistant but also safer. Similarly, 642 out of 644 PMTs in the area are no longer categorized as Very High Loss (VHL) and have been upgraded to Low Loss (LL) or Medium Loss (ML). More than 240 camps were set up in the area to facilitate residents in paying their bills. We are thankful to local representatives and community elders for their support in this regard.”
As a result of sustained efforts in the area under Project Sarbulandi, since 2017, the recovery ratio has improved from 78% to 98%, while more than 7,780 new connections have been registered through low-cost meters schemes and Sarbulandi facilitation camps. In collaboration with local law enforcement K-Electric also took strict action against power-theft and more than 4,870 kilograms of illegal kunda connections.