People had to brave prolonged and frequent power outages and load-shedding on Tuesday amid the prevailing hot and humid weather.

Apart from serious setbacks caused to domestic, social and commercial activities, the candidates for SSC Annual Examinations-2008, who appeared in their first examinations for Class-IX and Class-X on Tuesday, seriously suffered, facing prolonged and recurring power cuts at their residences and examination centres alike.

Sources in the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) privy to the power supply situation said that the gap between the electricity supply and demand had once again exceeded 300 Megawatts in the city, causing multiple spells of power load-shedding. On Tuesday, the meteorological department recorded 34.5 degrees Centigrade as the maximum temperature in the city with 60 per cent humidity.

Generation unit no 3 of KESC’s Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station had to be stopped late Monday night due to an oil leakage incident said sources in the KESC.

Various parts of the city experienced three to four spells of load-shedding during the span of 24 hours - each spell lasting for over two hours.

Residents of Malir, Gulishan-e-Iqbal, Saddar, Clifton, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and Federal B Area complained that their households were deprived of electricity several times in the day and evening hours and they have no clue when the power supply situation to their areas would be normalised.