Rawalpindi endures power cuts amid scorching heat

In the scorching heat of Rawalpindi in Pakistan, residents are facing power cuts lasting two to three hours, deepening their suffering. According to a Dawn report, the power cuts are also causing water shortages. Dr Amjad Khan, CEO of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), said overloaded transformers required repairs, leading to the outage.

Khan explained, “The overloaded transformers break down and it takes some time to repair. To repair the fault, Iesco has switched off the main power line in the area.”He added that in some areas, the system upgrades required power cuts and clarified that there was no power cut in any part of the city or the cantonment area, as per the Dawn report.

The outages also disrupted water supplies during the heatwave, affecting 320 tube wells, including 260 in the city and 60 in the cantonment area. The disruptions affect the schedule of tube wells and filtration plants, and authorities are receiving numerous complaints about low water pressure.

Zafar Qadri, general secretary of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Traders Association, noted that while there were no power outages, the repair work carried out by Iesco was causing frequent power outages, disrupting businesses and taking two hours to restart each time.

Qadri criticized the government’s policies and taxes on utility bills, saying they undermine purchasing power and hurt economic activity. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Sindhu Syed Nasir Hussain Shah announced that power outages in Karachi would be reduced by K-Electric and efforts would be made to minimize power outages during peak hours and at night. An agreement was signed to build a 40-megawatt transmission line from Pipri Grid station to NSCL at Port Qasim Authority.

(Disclaimer: Based on information obtained from the agency.)