It emerged that on Wednesday that several parts of Karachi experienced a power outage, according to a report by the city’s power utility, K-Electric.
According to Geo News, the areas to lose power include Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Clifton and Defence.
A quick telephonic survey among consumers conducted by Geo.tv revealed that Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 10, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 7 and 9, Government Teachers Society, Scheme 33, Gulzar-e-Hijri, and Clifton Block 7, all lost power at around the same time — between 4:10 and 4:20pm.
KE, in response to reports from several Karachi areas, said on Twitter it is “actively monitoring the situation and will keep updating this space”.
A consumer told Geo.tv that just before the outage, there was a pronounced fluctuation in the power supply.
A lot of the neighbourhoods where a power outage was reported were areas where drizzling was also reported.
The Met department has forecast rainfall for Karachi till September 3. The city is expected to receive heavy rains, dust storms and thunderstorms on September 2 and 3, said Director Met Department Sardar Sarfaraz.
Sarfaraz further stated that thunder cells over the city are likely to form on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier this morning, a power substation set up in the SITE industrial area was destroyed by an explosion.
Sources within the police told Geo News a loud explosion took place near Valika Chowrangi at SITE this morning, the sound of which could be heard from afar. The blast caused the walls of the substation to collapse and set fire to the office adjacent to the substation, causing severe damage.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kemari Fida Hussain Januri said it was not immediately clear whether the blast occurred inside the substation or the adjacent plot’s underground tank burst due to accumulation of gas.
Januri said that the staff of the bomb disposal squad and K Electric would be able to report on the situation better after inspecting the site.
Edhi Foundation staff rushed to the spot on receiving word of the blast but according to police, no casualties were reported. The fire brigade was also called but the fire was extinguished before they arrived.
POWER RESTORED IN SOME AREAS:
Later during the day, KE informed in an update that supply to all grids was normalised and restoration of feeder levels was underway.
“Power supply to Karachi is continuing through nearly 1,107 feeders out of 1,900 with strategic locations including Dhabeji Water Pumping Station and Karachi Airport also powered up,” it said.
KE said electricity supply was restored to parts of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B Area and North Karachi, Surjani Town, Malir, Baldia Town, Liaquatabad, Korangi, North Nazimabad, Gizri and Defence Housing Authority, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Clifton and Shah Faisal Colony.
A similar breakdown occurred in Karachi in May after a high-tension transmission line of 220 kV tripped, affecting the supply of electricity to the associated grids.
A massive power breakdown took place at the start of the year, plunging the entire country into darkness.
The blackout was reported a little before midnight of January 10 by citizens on social media from across the country, including major urban centres such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Multan, as well as smaller towns and cities.
Power was restored to most parts of the country by the evening.
