Ahead of the monsoon season, K-Electric reiterated the importance of safety during and beyond the expected rains.
The power utility urged its valued customers to adopt necessary precautionary measures to avoid any safety hazards.
Karachi was among the most affected cities of Pakistan in the 2020 monsoon season, with many areas immobilized due to urban flooding and waterlogging.
Cognizant of the safety hazards that can be created by inclement weather, KE advised citizens to maintain a safe distance from the power infrastructure including poles, stay wires which are used to support the pole, transformers, and also substations.
KE has been working actively to mitigate the risks posed by inclement weather. At the same time, the utility encouraged consumers to identify safety hazards for immediate redressal by KE’s teams, especially in cases and areas where kundas were being used to illegally acquire electricity.
As per various studies, a large portion of Karachi is unplanned and includes encroachments in different areas and around electricity infrastructure.
These areas and encroachments are infested with illegal hook connections (kundas), and despite regular drives by KE to remove these, and report such encroachments to law enforcement agencies and concerned authorities, the illegal hooks are reconnected.
KE officials emphasized that the issue of electricity theft could only be overcome with the support of the community.
Not only do these illegal wires compromise the integrity of KE’s system, they can also pose a serious threat to property and life of citizens.
Consumers are further advised to avoid standing under transformers or billboards during heavy rainfall and windy circumstances.
As the monsoon season will also overlap with Eid-ul-Azha, consumers are advised not to use electricity infrastructure such as poles and stay wires to tie their sacrificial animals. But the message of safety extends beyond the infrastructure and the streets.
The utility also advised citizens to utilize the time before the rains to conduct internal wiring assessments and insulate the circuits and switches which could be affected by water.
Appliances like water motors which are exposed to the rains should especially be protected with proper insulation of their electricity switches.
During rains, it is imperative to avoid using such appliances, and keep children away from them as well.–PR