During the intense hot and humid weather, severe power tripping, forced, scheduled and unscheduled load shedding have badly disrupted the routine lives of citizens in Lahore. In several areas, particularly on Sundays, electricity outages lasting several hours in the name of repair and maintenance have also deprived residents of their leisure and rest time.
A resident living near Ayub Chowk in Johar Town complained that his area has been experiencing severe power tripping and unscheduled load shedding for the past several days. According to him, the situation becomes particularly difficult during the evening and night. He said that despite the intense heat and humidity, there is no one available to listen to consumers’ complaints or resolve their problems.
The resident said that in addition to several hours of scheduled load shedding every day, electricity is cut off for more than six hours every Sunday in the name of “repair and maintenance.” He said that such outages were previously carried out on working days, but power cuts on Sundays are now also disrupting citizens’ leisure time.
Another consumer living nearby in Khayaban-e-Jinnah described the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO)’s service to consumers as extremely poor, saying that the area has been facing severe brownouts for the past several days. He said frequent low-voltage fluctuations and power outages also create the risk of damage to household electrical appliances.
The consumer also complained about the attitude of LESCO staff, saying that consumers are pressured when it comes to the collection of electricity bills, but the quality of service is extremely poor when it comes to power supply and resolving complaints.
Complaints of forced and scheduled load shedding, power tripping and other electricity-related problems are being reported from various parts of Lahore. The affected areas include Johar Town, Ichhra, Old Anarkali, Rehmanpura, Gulberg, Multan Road, Thokar Niaz Baig, Chauburji, settlements around Bata Pur, Shahdara and Manga, among others.
A citizen said sudden technical faults in the power system are also adding to the difficulties. According to him, a transformer in his area broke down a few days ago due to overloading, leaving several households without electricity for nearly 18 hours. He claimed that the issue was eventually resolved after contact was made with an influential person.
A LESCO official attributed the power problems to the additional load on the system during evening and night hours, as well as power shortages.
According to the official, the use of air conditioners increases several times during the evening and night, resulting in a sharp rise in electricity demand on LESCO’s system. Under certain circumstances, the company is left with no option but to resort to forced load shedding.
The official said that during the daytime, many consumers use solar energy, allowing the electricity system to operate relatively smoothly. However, in the evening, solar power generation and usage decline while consumers reconnect to LESCO’s grid, causing electricity demand to rise suddenly. As a result, the system becomes overloaded, making forced load shedding necessary.
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