Karachi residents hold protest against power, water supply disruptions

Residents of Karachi held protests against the disruption of electricity and water supplies to their localities, causing severe traffic jams in major parts of the city on Friday. This added to the woes of commuters who were trapped on the roads and streets for hours.

Hundreds of vehicles crawled at a snail’s pace, bumper-to-bumper, for hours on sections of MA Jinnah Road and Shahrah-i-Quaideen, leading to additional traffic congestion on connecting roads and streets, including Preedy Street and Sharea Faisal.

The residents of Jacob Lines, including children and women, took to the streets shortly after noon to protest the disconnection of the power supply in their blocked signal-free Corridor-III from Saddar to Peoples Chowrangi, Dawn reported.

The protesters stated that K-Electric cut off the power supply to their area three days ago due to unpaid bills, which they claimed were excessive and unfair.

They said that the power disconnection also resulted in a severe shortage of water in their localities, which primarily affected women and children, disrupting daily life. They staged the protest after becoming frustrated with the three-day power outage.

Residents in Shershah held a protest against extended and unannounced power outages, setting up barricades on the streets and leading to traffic congestion. They claimed that the power cuts were occurring in their area despite their consistent payment of electricity bills, as reported by Dawn.

The protesters chanted slogans against the power utility, stating that the frequent outages had made life intolerable for residents, while provincial authorities remained passive observers. The protesters ultimately dispersed peacefully following the intervention of the police and local administration.

Meanwhile, in Korangi district, residents took to the streets to protest against water shortages in their area. They shouted slogans against the water utility and called for the restoration of water supply. They stated that water had not flowed from their taps for the last two weeks, and water utility officials had ignored their complaints despite multiple reports about the issue.