As temperatures rise in Karachi, new loadshedding schedules have been announced, with power outages increasing across the port city due to growing electricity demand.
A spokesperson for K-Electric said that announced load-shedding is being carried out for up to 10 hours in areas with high transmission losses, while nearly 70% of feeders remain exempt from outages.
However, reports from residents across Karachi suggest a widening gap between the utility’s claims and ground realities, with many areas experiencing longer and more frequent power cuts than officially stated.
The latest spell of load-shedding has affected multiple neighbourhoods, particularly during the ongoing April heat, with some residents reporting outages extending up to 16 hours or more. Even areas categorised as exempt have not been fully spared, with unscheduled interruptions often attributed to maintenance work.
The situation has triggered widespread frustration, as citizens struggle to cope with prolonged outages in rising temperatures. Residents from various parts of the city have accused K-Electric of failing to effectively manage both scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding despite increased demand during hot weather.
In localities such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Johar, North Karachi, Shadman Town and Gulshan-e-Maymar, which are officially exempt, residents reported outages lasting two to four hours, often described as maintenance shutdowns.
Meanwhile, in other affected areas, electricity supply has been disrupted for three to five hours multiple times a day, pushing total outage durations to as high as 15 to 20 hours in some neighbourhoods.
Residents say the extended blackouts have severely disrupted daily life, leading to sleepless nights amid the heat. Families report that the situation is particularly challenging for children, the elderly and patients, as the city faces intensifying heatwave-like conditions.
Heatwave to affect various areas in Pakistan
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) earlier issued a weather alert, as a heatwave is about to affect various areas in Pakistan.
PMD on April 27 has released a weather update, stating that a mild heatwave will be witnessed in the southern parts of Pakistan between April 29 and May 3.
The notification says that westerly waves will likely affect the upper parts of the country from the night of April 27 to April 29, and also between May 3 and May 5.
PMD said, “The observed climate suggests that May and June are the hottest months during the year, while south Punjab, upper Sindh, southern/eastern Balochistan are heat-prone areas of the country, with temperatures sometimes shooting up to 52°C due to heatwave conditions.”
The department has further added that the temperature range in the area, as mentioned, was between 43 degree celcius to 45 degree celcius.
Meanwhile, the current observations of the department showed that the temperature was two to four degrees higher than the normal range.
Also read: NDMA warns of prolonged heatwave in Karachi
