PAKISTAN: Panic and dilemma are strewn across Pakistan as power outrage makes lives difficult in a country that had already been struggling with fuel shortages in the cold winters, a crippling economy with its lack of investment in infrastructure.
Pakistan experiences massive power cuts
According to early reports, Pakistan’s national grid decreased at 7.34 am local time, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system,” says the country’s energy minister Khurram Dastagir. The statement also added, “The system’s maintenance work is progressing rapidly,”
The electricity had been restored to a few important places and to a “limited number of networks” in the capital, Islamabad, and in the city of Peshawar. However, there has been no news about when the power will be restored completely despite continuous efforts.
Hospitals, markets, and important business sectors have suffered a lot in the city of Quetta, Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. The wide span of the Jinnah Road market is shut down.
Balochistan’s director of the health department, Dr. Imran Zarkoon, told the media, “Services in health centres outside of Quetta are suffering as a result of the lack of generators.” Businesses, industries, and homes have their own generators that can be used when the power is out.
People at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar told the media that not many sectors had been affected by the power outage because generators were used to provide power, especially to the emergency and intensive care units.
Power Minister Khurram Dastagir said that this is “not a major crisis.” He said that they intentionally cut out on the power usage overnight as the demand for energy during winter is usually less than in summer.
“Since there is less demand for electricity countrywide during the winter, we temporarily shut down our power producing systems at night as a cost-saving measure,” he stated.
PAK Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed all federal departments to dwindle their energy consumption by 30% and the closing of all markets by 8:30 pm and restaurants at 10 pm.
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