KARACHI: With power shortfall surging to 7,674 megawatts, the in urban and rural areas of the country are suffering hardships from prolonged loadshedding.
Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Quetta and other big cities are facing power outages upto 6 hours and sometime more while villages face upto 18 hours of loadshedding. According to a report, the total demand for electricity in the country is 29,900MW and the total power generation is 22,226MW. The report says 5,625MW electricity is being generated from water, 1,327MW from government thermal plants and 11,500MW from private sector power plants.
Wind power plants are generating 1,235MW electricity while solar power plants are generating 122MW electricity. Meanwhile, the unannounced electricity loadshedding in urban areas is up to 14 hours while 18 hours-long loadshedding is being carried out in rural parts of the country due to power shortfall.
The people of Karachi are also affected by the power crisis. The K-Electric is carrying out power outages for long hours affecting social and business life in Layari, Mauripur, North Karachi, Gulistan-e-Johar, Yousuf Goth, Gadap, Kathor, Landhi, Malir, Liaqatabad, Ranchhor Line, PIB Colony, Jamshed Road, Orangi Town, Shah Faisal Colony, Baldia and Ittehad Town and several other areas.
Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh has hinted at nationalizing the sole power provider in Karachi, K-Electric, saying that the provincial government took notice of the prolonging loadshedding. Shaikh said in a media briefing that the Sindh government has ordered the K-Electric management to provide the loadshedding schedule. “K-Electric is claiming that only announced loadshedding is being made for 7-8 hours [in Karachi].