Power failure, electrocution cases: KE sympathises with bereaved families, form probe bodies

K-Electric is a law-abiding and responsible organisation. The power utility is extending full cooperation in investigation process and will also submit report to regulatory authority in due course. Here KE would also like to mention that the unprecedented rains and urban flooding in Karachi had severely disrupted civic amenities and services and caused a number of incidents. The management and employees of K-Electric are deeply grieved over these unfortunate incidents and extend deepest sympathies to the affected families.
With almost 36 hours of relentless and continuous downpour, the city witnessed close to 150mm rain, which is the highest in five years, creating unprecedented circumstances of urban flooding around power infrastructure in low lying areas, causing power outages and damage to infrastructure. KE regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers as a result.
The flooding was so intense that Karachi's M9 motorway was shut down and hundreds of people from adjoining districts including dozens of villages were forced to relocate to higher ground. Overflow of the Lath Dam nearly caused a key KE installation to be shutdown, while also blocking Super Highway for hours.
It is critical to mention that per various studies; a large portion of Karachi is unplanned and includes encroachments in different areas. These slums and encroachments are infested with kundas, and despite multiple drives to remove these illegal power connections and report encroachments to law enforcement agencies, the illegal hooks are reconnected creating a potential safety hazard especially during rains.
For the number of incidents reported, KE has constituted a high-level committee to carry out detailed inquiry and is also cooperating with the regulatory authority and other stakeholders for their independent investigations. The internal assessments reveal that some incidents occurred inside houses due to internal issues, whereas many others were a consequence of pervasive kunda wires used by unknown elements in some katchi abadis and predominately in encroached areas.
KE also took precautionary measures including preventive maintenance, network-wide inspections of the power infrastructure and strengthened vigilance of on-ground teams. As a safety precaution, electricity supply was also suspended to areas which are highly prone to such incidents. However, joint effort from all concerned stakeholders in Karachi is critical to eliminate hazards created by encroachments and waterlogging near power infrastructure and to ensure right of way for all utility services while enforcing basic urban development protocols in a planned manner. KE is also approaching local administration, provincial and federal government bodies for coordinated efforts to cope with the challenges KE encounters in the provision of safe electricity during and after rain.
The power utility has consistently highlighted the hazards posed by kunda connections and how these hazards are magnified during the rain, through public safety campaigns through print and electronic media as well as via Twitter and Facebook. These messages are also conveyed as part of consumer bills and sent through SMS. While KE ensures compliance to respective safety protocols and procedures, it also appeals to the public for their own safety to maintain distance from power infrastructure including power lines, transformers, grids, substations, streetlights and poles especially during rain. Special attention must be paid to children who should be cautioned from playing near electricity installations..-PR