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LAHORE: Power outages have resurfaced throughout the country, impacting both urban and rural regions with prolonged blackouts amid extremely hot and humid weather.
The crisis is now affecting major cities, towns and rural areas, revealing discrepancies between policy declarations and actual conditions. As peak summer demand coincides with feels-like temperatures exceeding 50°C, the return of prolonged load-shedding raises concerns about the government’s readiness. If power goes off anytime, on any pretext and helplines are unresponsive, the labeling of “temporary” may risk becoming a permanent reality for millions of consumers.
Pakistan’s biggest power utility on Monday acknowledged low power quota against the demand and consequent unannounced outages in the provincial metropolis. According to a notice by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), “temporary load management” is currently in effect in its jurisdiction. The company attributed the outages to the “current national energy situation and potential imbalance between demand and supply,” stating that the practice would cease “immediately” once supply conditions improve. The Lesco requested “cooperation” for the “temporary inconvenience” and directed consumers to contact helpline 118 for any complaints.
However, reports from consumers indicate that the issue is already severe and widespread, suspending electricity abruptly without any planned load management. In Lahore, a resident from Faisal Town Sub-Division reported a power outage lasting over an hour in the evening in addition to nocturnal one or two hours blackout in the middle of night. Another complaint from Gulshan-e-Ravi noted that power had been out for 24 hours during extreme heat, with citizens claiming that Lesco staff were “absent” when they attempted to file complaints.
The situation is even more dire outside Punjab. In Pishin, a city of Balochistan, social media posts indicate that load-shedding is occurring from 1am to 12:30pm and again from 1pm to 8pm — totaling 17 hours of outages each day.
A video shared online depicted complete darkness in the city at night. In Kharan, prolonged unannounced outages combined with extreme heat have rendered life miserable. In Sindh, even the so-called exempt regions are not immune to power outages. Residents of DHA Phase 6 in Karachi have reported daily interruptions. Although DHA and certain parts of Karachi are classified under the 70% “load-shedding exempt” category, the power utility has temporarily linked DHA feeders to other areas due to pending approval for repairs on DHA’s own feeders. Consequently, consumers are experiencing outages caused by the additional load on other feeders. “As usual, the poor consumers suffer,” remarked one observer.
Punjab’s rural regions are also enduring extended power cuts. Fed by the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) which also distributes electricity in the hometown of the federal minister for energy, both urban and rural communities in Layyah district are facing menace of unannounced load-shedding lasting 10 to 12 hours each day. Residents have expressed that the heat has made living conditions intolerable and urged authorities to take action.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, women from the Konodas area have taken to the streets to protest against severe power outages, voicing their “intense anger and grief” over the situation. Importantly, coming back to the Lesco’s statement, characterizing the outages as “temporary” and a matter of “load management”, the extent of the problem suggests otherwise. With 24-hour blackouts in Lahore, 17-hour cuts in Balochistan, and outages affecting exempt areas, the issue has expanded beyond high-loss areas. The reasons provided — feeder repairs pending approval, a national supply deficit, and tripping due to overload — highlight deficiencies in planning and inter-agency coordination, rather than merely a fuel shortage.
