Prolonged and excessive loadshedding has made everyday life increasingly difficult for Karachi’s low-income families, disrupting children’s education and turning basic tasks such as cooking, washing, bathing and maintaining personal hygiene into daily challenges.
Rights activists and civil society members raised the concerns at a press conference organised by the Civil Society Collective for Clean Energy for Karachi at the Karachi Press Club.
The speakers said Karachi witnessed widespread protests and traffic disruptions during the week beginning August 24, as residents of Lyari, the old city areas, Baldia, Orangi, Korangi, SITE and Sohrab Goth demanded an end to what they described as unusually long power outages.
Residents of North Karachi, Nazimabad and parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar reportedly faced between 16 and 24 hours of loadshedding in some areas.
According to the speakers, the loadshedding schedule available on K-Electric’s website showed up to 12 hours of outages a day on more than 615 feeders, meaning around one-third of the city’s feeders were reportedly affected.
Excessive loadshedding affecting workers
Qazi Khizer of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan highlighted the impact of prolonged outages on working-class neighbourhoods, saying the power crisis was adding to the difficulties already faced by residents.
He referred to reports describing Karachi as a city experiencing high levels of mental stress and said excessive loadshedding was among the factors worsening the situation.
“Electricity is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” he stressed.
Abbas Haider of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) said prolonged loadshedding in Baldia, SITE, Korangi and other industrial areas was severely affecting informal workers who largely live in these communities.
He said extended power outages were depriving workers of energy, sleep and rest, ultimately affecting their performance at work. He also claimed that workplace accidents had increased with the rise in loadshedding hours.
Women bearing the brunt of power outages
Karachi Union of Journalists President Tahir Hassan Khan questioned the benefits of K-Electric’s privatisation, saying that despite claims of improvements in its systems and digitisation, the utility had failed to ensure reliable and consistent electricity for Karachi.
Lyari-based social activist Najma Maheshwari said women were facing a disproportionate burden due to prolonged outages and inadequate water availability.
She said families in Lyari were sometimes forced to purchase water even for washing clothes, adding that the financial pressure of managing everyday life had become increasingly severe.
According to Maheshwari, women were particularly affected because they were responsible for maintaining household cleanliness and caring for children. She linked water shortages caused by loadshedding to difficulties in maintaining hygiene and claimed that residents were experiencing an increase in skin and reproductive health problems.
Activists question focus on electricity theft
Zeenia Shaukat of The Knowledge Forum said public debate around Karachi’s electricity crisis had become overly focused on electricity theft and recovery, with responsibility often being placed on neighbourhoods rather than the utility.
She said the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had repeatedly directed K-Electric to end feeder-level loadshedding and, in several instances, instructed the utility to shift towards PMT-based loadshedding after efforts to reduce commercial losses had been exhausted.
“The conversation should therefore move from ‘Who is stealing electricity?’ to ‘Who is accountable for the electricity system and for protecting customers?’” she asked.
How to check your Karachi loadshedding schedule
Karachi residents can check their area’s electricity loadshedding schedule through K-Electric’s available services:
- KE Bill: Check the top section of your electricity bill for feeder-related information.
- KE Live App: Open the app and select the “Power” tab.
- SMS: Type “REGISTER” and send it to 8119.
- Helpline: Call K-Electric customer care at 118.
Current situation
Loadshedding duration varies by area and feeder, with outages reportedly ranging from scheduled interruptions to as much as 12 hours a day on high-loss feeders.
Power outage timings can also change depending on electricity supply conditions, maintenance work and other operational factors.
Also check: Karachi gas loadshedding latest schedule here