KARACHI: Karachi continued to receive light to moderate rain with different intervals throughout the day on Monday, causing traffic jams on roads, and power cuts in various city neighbourhoods.

The first winter rain spell turned the city atmosphere pleasant as people were seen enjoying the weather. People continue to share images and footages of their rain related fun-filled activities on various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok etc.

However, business and commercial activities, and transport services of the port city remained thin during the day. People from different city areas made complain of power cuts and stagnant rain water in streets.

The city administration and the K-Electric in their separate statements claimed to have provided better services in terms of drainage and dewatering and uninterrupted power supply to the citizens during the rains, respectively.

The administrator Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said all roads, arteries and underpasses are clear. The municipal and administrative staff of Karachi continue to work & perform despite the toughest of times and the situation is under control.

During the on-going spell, KE spokesman said the maximum number of feeders switched off for safety reasons, 380 out of KE’s network of more than 1900 feeders.

KE said it ensured sustained power supply to the city. The utility’s team continued to remain vigilant and active throughout sporadic weather conditions and ensured the stability of its power supply network.

Areas with high incidence of theft and kunda usage were pre-emptively shut down temporarily in the interest of safety of the residents and the power was swiftly restored after receiving clearance from the ground team. Consumers were also kept informed about the power situation via KE broadcast of live updates via its social media platforms.

KE teams also proactively investigated reports of an unfortunate death incident which was reported from Frere Market Area of Saddar. Findings suggested that the death occurred because of the natural causes and was not the result of electrocution.

KE’s spokesperson commented, “Our systems remained predominantly intact during the rain spell and our teams ensured that the city is provided with safe and reliable power supply. In areas where theft and kundas are prevalent, a few feeders were temporarily powered off out of caution owing to safety hazards in these areas. However, they were restored soon after clearance was received from the concerned area teams.”

With more rain predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the spokesperson further added, “Citizens are advised to continue observing precautionary measures and maintain a safe distance from electricity infrastructure in case of a downpour to avoid any untoward incident.”

Meanwhile Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab paid visits to the three districts East, South and Keamari. Wahab visited various areas of the South District including Burns Road, Pakistan Chowk, Saddar, MA Jinnah Road etc.

He instructed the field staff to remain present on the roads till rains stop. All the staff along with pumps must be available in different parts of the city for drainage of rain water.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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