Energy-starved Pakistan facing long hours of power cuts

Pakistan is facing severe energy crunch which is causing hours-long power cuts across the country in the name of load management despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s clear direction to reduce duration of ongoing loadshedding to maximum 3 hours a day, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

The provincial capital of Sindh and country’s economic hub – Karachi – is facing vicious power shortage that it has to bear 15 to 18 hours long power outages. 

Prolonged hours of power cuts have made people’s lives miserable in this extremely hot summer season, besides destroying their businesses. 

Power outages in sizzling Lahore where mercury level hovers above 42 degree Celcius have also become a common phenomenon. Electricity keeps playing hide and seek in the city. Urban areas remain without power for at least four hours a day while the suburban areas are facing loadshedding up to six hours. 

Lesco has reported a shortfall of 550MW. 

Faisalabad is also facing nasty power outages as long as 15 hours a day. 

Peshawar has also been hit by the worst kind of loadshedding. In the urban areas, power remains shut for 8 hours while in rural areas the loadshedding duration is 16 hours. 

Besides this, the low voltage and tripping are causing numerous problems for citizens making their electronic gadgets out of order. 

Pesco said that power supply is just 1500MW while its demand is 2700MW which is main reason behind the prolonged hours of loadshedding.

Reporters Habib Khan, Shahid Sipra and Syed Azmat