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Title: Power Outage Causes Water Shortage in City

By our correspondent - Pakistan

April 6, 2000

KARACHI: Reports of protracted power outage coupled with local faults poured in at The News office on Wednesday from various parts of the city, including districts East and West, as city's temperature went further down.

The power outage that affected water pumping at KWSB's Water Pumping Station at Pipri brought about water shortages in areas, including Pipri, Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, NRL, PRL, Defence and KESC plants.

Meanwhile, malfunctioning of feeders and PMTs caused power failure in Garden East, Orangi Medicos Sector 9 and 10, Ghausia Chowk, Orangi Town, Ibrahim Haidery, Block-3 Federal B Area, according to reports.

Reports of local faults were also received from Federal B Area, North Karachi, Lyari, Mehmoodabad, Surjani Town, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Residents of Block-20, Federal B Area and Gulshan-e-Iqbal were faced with total power breakdown at 2 am on April 5.

KWSB sources said power went off at Pipri Pumping Station at 4 am on Wednesday night for at least one hour. They said pumping resumed after four hours.

The problem, they added, reemerged at 4.35 pm at Pipri and electricity was not available for another couple of hours. It is estimated that about 30 million gallons could not be pumped to the city from Pipri station on Wednesday.

On the other hand, tankers service remained suspended on Wednesday in the wake of strike by private tankers' owners, said KWSB sources. They added that there was partial operation of Muslimabad hydrants.

http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/update-index.html

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 06, 2000

Answers

Watching this Karachi situation is very informative. The slow, gradual degeneration of basic infrastructure is much like what was expected more widely right after January 1. I wonder if such repetitious developments will begin, some time soon, in other major cities throughout the world.

-- Wellesley (wellesley@freeport.com), April 06, 2000.

Wellesly,

Thank you for your comments.

Karachi is certainly having a challenge at this time. Here's another article I just found:

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KARACHI: Electricity Breakdowns Make Life Miserable

By Our Reporter

KARACHI, April 5: As the mercury shot up to 40 degrees Celsius in the city on Wednesday, the KESC's 11 KV distribution system tripped in many areas owing to overloading of the feeders, causing immense difficulties for the people.

A survey of 18 feeders of North Nazimabad revealed that they were heavily overloaded, causing frequent electricity breakdowns. Surprisingly the 18th feeder, that is, the Ziauddin feeder, having the capacity of 180 amperes, has not been connected for the past years, owing to which residents of the area are in great difficulties.

The Board of Secondary Education feeder, which had the installed capacity of 180 amps, with plus minus of 10 amps, was taking load of 300 amps, Block-A pumping station with a similar installed capacity was bearing the load of 280 amps, Block-G feeder was taking the toll of 280 amps instead of 180 amps, Block-H pumping station with 275 amps instead of 180, Block-N feeder 275 amps instead of 180 amps and Friends Height 270 amps instead of 180 amps.

The Gulshan-i-Zubeda feeder recorded the load of 280 amps instead of 180 amps, Mustafa pumping station 300 amps instead of 180, Nazimabad College 275 amps instead of 180 amps and Paharganj 300 amps instead of 180 amps.

The R. T. Plaza feeder was bearing the load of 300 amps as against the designated capacity of 180 amps whereas the Red Rose feeder registered a load of 300 amps instead of 180 amps. Rizwan Plaza recorded a load of 280 amps instead of 180, Shaheryar Clinic feeder 280 amps instead of 180 amps, The Ship Owners' College feeder was taking the load of 280 amps as against 180 amps, State Bank 275 amps instead of 180 amps, and the T.T.C feeder 300 amps instead of 180 amps.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's members of the suspended Sindh Legislative Assembly have slammed the growing incidence of power failure and shortage of water in the city when the heat has become unbearable.

Power breakdowns, they said, were affecting everything: students, industrial production, work in offices, and indeed all spheres of life, upsetting normal life. It was also causing disruption in water supply, which provided the tanker mafia opportunity to fleece the public, they deplored. The problem was likely to aggravate as the mercury would shoot up to more than 44 degrees Celsius later this month, they said.

http://www.dawn.com/2000/04/06/local6.htm

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 06, 2000.