Karachi hit by up to 20 hours of loadshedding amid hot weather

KARACHI: Residents of Karachi are facing severe hardship due to prolonged power outages, with loadshedding stretching up to 20 hours a day in several areas amid intense heat and humidity, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

A large portion of the city’s population lives in small homes and apartments with inadequate ventilation. In the sweltering weather, the absence of electricity turns these spaces into suffocating conditions, severely affecting women, children, and the elderly.

Despite the arrival of a new administration at K-Electric, the power crisis has worsened, with unannounced loadshedding continuing across the city.

According to reports, the duration of outages has increased by an additional four to six hours in many areas. Even neighborhoods previously exempt from loadshedding are now facing daily outages of three to five hours under the pretext of system maintenance.

Areas including North Karachi, Shadman, PECHS, Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and Gulshan-e-Maymar are experiencing two to four hours of outages. However, the situation is far more severe in Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Mahmoodabad, Malir, Korangi, and New Karachi, where electricity remains unavailable for 15 to 20 hours daily.

Localities such as Surjani Town, Khuda Ki Basti, Ahsanabad, Kathore, and Gadap Town are also facing extended outages, severely disrupting daily life.

Read More: JI files contempt of court petition against NEPRA over loadshedding in Karachi

Residents report a pattern of one hour of electricity followed by one hour of outage, while in some areas, electricity is available for only four hours out of 24.

The prolonged power cuts have also triggered a worsening water crisis across the city, as water supply systems rely heavily on electricity.

Citizens have voiced frustration over the KE’s performance, demanding uninterrupted power supply, especially during extreme weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Munim Zafar, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi, criticized K-Electric, stating that residents are enduring extended outages despite paying high electricity tariffs and taxes.

He referred to a 2024 decision by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), which declared loadshedding based on theft and non-recovery illegal, imposed a Rs50 million fine on K-Electric, and ordered uninterrupted supply.