16 April 2000 Sunday 10 Muharram 1421

KARACHI: People brave another hot day without water, power

By Our Reporter

KARACHI, April 15: Many areas faced frequent power failures on Saturday despite closure of business and commercial centers.

Electricity breakdowns were especially resented by students preparing for intermediate practical exams in the sultry and hot weather. They were particularly affected by power failures in the evening which were also seriously affecting small business and neighborhood clinics. Apartment- dwellers were worst hit.

There were complaints of power failure from parts of Orangi, Federal B- Area, North Nazimabad, Surjani, Defence, KDA Scheme-33, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Karachi and Buffer Zone areas.

Friends Height feeder in North Nazimabad was closed for more than an hour and a half at 3pm due to some unspecified cable fault. But when the KESC team arrived to repair the fault, they were short of required material. The work would be taken up again on Sunday, resulting in further closure of the feeder.

Residents of Mominabad, Touhid and Qasba colonies, who are fed by the four feeders of the Baldia grid, had been facing the problem of frequent trippings during the past 48 hours. These areas are being managed through back feeding. Consumers in Qasba Colony faced the problem even on Saturday.

Habib Foundation feeder of the Federal B-Area grid was also affected and consumers hooked on this feeder were being generally provided electricity through back feeding.

"Ojha feeder of the KDA Scheme-33 grid was closed on Thursday evening and was restored after midnight, effects of which were felt throughout Friday and also on Saturday," residents said.

In North Karachi, the Sheerani Heights industrial feeder was affected by a fault in the conductor, whereas in Surjani Modern Complex and Today feeders have been facing problems since Friday evening.

Residents of these areas said that frequent power failures had made their life miserable. They said that whenever the reasons for closure was asked the KESC staff were not forthcoming with a convincing answer confining themselves to a standard reply that "a tripping has been caused perhaps due to overloading."

Situation in Orangi was even worst. There was no letup in power breakdowns as the KESC had been carrying out undeclared closure of feeders to save its system which was overloaded due to illegal connections (kundas) which have proliferated with the active connivance of the KESC employees and local administration.

WATER SHORTAGE: Despite directives by the Karachi commissioner and other high officials to the civic agencies for uninterrupted supply of water and power during Muharram days, an acute shortage of water persists in at least three districts of Karachi, particularly East and Central, agencies add.

Residents from parts of district central have complained of an acute shortage of water. Blocks J, I, K of North Nazimabad and blocks 8 and 9 and 14 of Federal B-Area are mostly affected. Residents said they had not been supplied a single drop of water for the past one week.

Similar complaints were also made by the residents of Sector 14 B in North Karachi and other adjoining areas. They have reportedly been getting less water for the past five days. People, have, however expressed satisfaction with the cleanliness drive during which garbage dumped, especially near mosques and Imambargahs, were removed.

POWER THEFT: Massive electricity theft was noticed in the city on the eve of Ashura as people resorted to illegal connections on a large scale.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), April 16, 2000