Nearly 4 million daily wage laborers are the worst effected from the prolonged and unannounced electricity load shedding as heat waves continue to batter the city over the past week. The sizzling weather scorched the metropolis with the season's highest temperature of 44 degrees Celsius as prolonged power cuts pulled down manufacturing operations in cottage industry and sales in markets over the past week.
"Daily wage workers are the worst affected from the load shedding as they find a little job as manufacturing and other business activities shrank by 40 percent and 60 percent respectively because of electricity load shedding," Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Mir told Business Recorder.
Temperature though scaled back to 36 degree Celsius on Saturday, yet power cuts by K-Electric continued to inflict distressful miseries on public and especially the laborers, besides traders and small-scale manufacturers, he said adding that "the KE has unique faults of the world to its power generation systems, which frequently occur". He termed the past week 'traumatizing' for the people Karachi with soaring mercury level and prolonged electricity cuts, saying that the government should end the power generation and distribution monopoly at once and permit more companies to take part.
"The daily wagers are feared to lose jobs ahead of Holy Ramazan and Eid-ul-Fitr since the power cuts have downsized businesses and manufacturing," he said, adding that "if the electricity supply does not improve anytime soon, situation is expected to worsen in Ramazan, which is a peak season for Eid and businessmen plan for it with a grater preparations".
Mercury in parts of Sindh is expected to remain higher up to 45 degrees Celsius on Sunday with heat waves in Karachi, the Met Office on Saturday said. The affected districts from scorching heat are likely to Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Umerkot and Dadu with 45 degrees Celsius. Kashmore, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Tharparkar and Nowshehro Feroze are likely to undergo 44 degrees Celsius, each of temperature. The sizzling weather with 43 degrees Celsius is set to simmer Mirpurkhas.
Temperature in Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jamshoro and Mityari is expected to range up to 42 degrees Celsius. Badin and Hyderabad are likely to sizzle with 41 degrees Celsius, Sujawal and Thatta with 39, each, and Karachi 36.
High temperature scorched Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Dadu with 47 degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours, followed by Mohenjo-Daro and Larkana 46, each, Rahim Yar Khan, Rohri, Chhor, Padidan and Sakrand 45, each.
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