Karachi suffers massive power outages on first day of Ramazan
A spokesperson of K-Electric on Sunday said that efforts were underway to "normalise matters" after several areas of Karachi suffered a lengthy power breakdown starting in the early hours of Sunday.
Reports of power outages started to roll in around the time the residents of Karachi prepared for sehri in the early hours of Sunday, the first day of Ramazan. Hours later, as the afternoon wore on, the issue had still not been resolved.
Among the most affected areas were Model Colony, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Azizabad, Malir, Landhi and Nazimabad.
The Extra High Tension tripping of a transmission line was behind the breakdown, a K-Electric spokesperson said. He added that efforts were being made to return the affected areas to normality as soon as possible.
"The current power interruption is due to Extra High Tension tripping in Jamshoro 500 KV line," K-Electric wrote on Twitter.
Blackouts in other cities of Sindh
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also took notice of power outages in Hyderabad and Sukkur, ordering Energy Secretary Agha Wasif to communicate with the CEO of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and the Sukkur Electricity Supply Company (Sesco) to ascertain the reasons behind the blackouts.
The power supply companies had given assurances that loadshedding will not take place during the month of Ramazan, the CM recalled.
Shah added that he had spoken with Water and Power Minister Muhammad Asif and remarked that the ongoing load-shedding is "cruelty towards the people [of Sindh]."