SHANGLA: Residents across Shangla have voiced growing frustration over prolonged and unannounced power outages, saying extended load-shedding has disrupted daily life, affected essential services and slowed business activity across the district.

Residents said electricity cuts now exceed 17 hours a day in several areas, with many consumers receiving power for only about 15 minutes after every hour-long outage. The worsening electricity supply has intensified over the past four days, particularly in Alpuri and surrounding localities.

According to local residents, prolonged outages have created serious difficulties for households while businesses that depend on electricity continue to suffer financial losses.

Shopkeepers, small business owners and members of the local business community said continuous load-shedding has disrupted commercial operations and reduced customer activity. They urged the authorities to restore a stable electricity supply without further delay.

Residents said electricity supply to several feeders was disrupted after monsoon rains began on Monday. Although power was later restored, repeated tripping and technical faults continued to cause frequent interruptions through Thursday morning.

On Thursday, technical issues again affected multiple feeders, leaving many areas of Alpuri and nearby localities with electricity for only about 15 minutes every hour, according to residents.

Calls for immediate action

Residents noted that Shangla contributes significantly to Pakistan’s electricity generation through the Khan Khwar Dam and Karora Hydropower projects, which together produce more than 85 megawatts of electricity. They questioned why the district continues to experience severe electricity shortages despite being a power-producing region.

They appealed to Federal Minister and Member of the National Assembly Engineer Amir Muqam to direct the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and other relevant authorities to address the unannounced load-shedding and recurring power breakdowns.

Residents also called for the permanent deployment of maintenance and emergency response teams along the transmission line between the Shangla Grid Station and Alpuri so that faults caused by heavy rainfall or technical failures can be repaired quickly.

Warning of possible demonstrations, residents said they would launch a public protest campaign if prolonged unannounced power outages and the deteriorating power distribution system are not resolved. They said responsibility for any resulting unrest would lie with the relevant authorities.

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