Power outages are common in Pakistan, which faces a chronic energy crisis exacerbated by a complex and aging distribution system.
A massive power outage plunged most of Pakistan into darkness, with many cities including Lahore and Karachi without power for more than 12 hours.
The problem was still not solved when night fell.
Power outages are common in Pakistan, which faces a chronic energy crisis exacerbated by a complex and aging distribution system.
According to authorities, the damage is due to a system malfunction, with a surge in voltage occurring at 7:30 am local time (04:30 Greek time). Power was restored, but only partially, to the capital Islamabad and other cities.
The large, financial center of Karachi, with 15 million inhabitants, and Lahore, the second largest city with 10 million inhabitants, still remain without power.
Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told reporters that an investigation into the blackout has been launched. “We are facing some obstacles but we will overcome them and restore power to the entire country by evening,” he said.
The breakdown was caused by a surge in grid voltage when the power plants were restarted in the morning. Hahn explained that in the winter these units temporarily shut down at night to save fuel.
Most hospitals, industries and government buildings have generators. But households and small businesses often do not have the means to purchase such equipment.
In northern Pakistan the temperature tonight is expected to drop below 0. The natural gas heating system is extensive but not reliable due to gas shortages.
Thousands of mobile phone antennas have also been knocked down, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) said on Twitter. There are fears that if power is not restored soon it could cause a blackout in telecommunications as antennas and towers gradually run out of fuel and batteries. Some users of the social networking sites said mobile phone signal had disappeared in major cities such as Islamabad. A PTA spokesman did not respond to a query on how many telecom towers have been taken out of service. According to Netblocks, which monitors the Internet worldwide, there are also problems with Internet access.
PTA reports that there are 194 million mobile subscribers and 124 million internet subscribers in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s economy has been reeling of late, with inflation soaring, the national currency – the rupee – in freefall and foreign exchange reserves at their lowest point. The blackout only increases the pressure on small businesses.
In Rawalpindi, a city near the capital, Muhammad Iftikhar Sheikh, 71, an electrical shop owner, said he could no longer show off his products to customers. “Customers never buy anything without trying it first. We sit here and do nothing,” he commented.
In some schools lessons were held in dim light.
In Karachi, a trader told AFP that all his stock – dairy products – would be destroyed without refrigeration.
A similar outage in January 2021 plunged almost the entire country of 220 million people into darkness for several hours.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
