LESCO suffers serious damages due to record-breaking rain
LAHORE: The installations of Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) suffered severe damage due to heavy monsoon rain in the five districts falling in its region on Wednesday.
Three people, including a woman, lost their lives due to electric shocks.
LESCO sources said several electric poles collapsed and transformers were extensively damaged. The falling trees and poles caused a 12-hour power outage, leading to severe difficulties for more than six million consumers.
Due to a shortage of workforce and unavailability of new material, teams took hours to restore electric supply. According to reports, the electricity supply was affected throughout the province due to the heavy rain and strong winds, rendering the electricity system in the five districts of LESCO region paralysed. Transmission and distribution lines were damaged in several areas.
More than 200 feeders remained non-functional, resulting in hours-long power outages in various areas. Transmission and distribution lines were damaged in Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Lahore. Poles and wires falling in different areas of Lahore caused power supply disruptions.
Electric supply was disrupted in Shalamar, Mughalpura, Herbenspura, McLeod Road, Lakshmi Chowk, Bedian Road, Cantt, Defence Housing Authprity, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Gulberg, Model Town, Garden Town, Ravi Road and Shahdara.
The power outages also severely affected the water supply, causing severe difficulties for the residents.
An official said LESCO had been facing an acute shortage of manpower due to the lack of recruitment over the years. In the past six months alone, 25 LESCO personnel lost their lives due to work-related accidents and a lack of safety measures. Technical equipment and transformers could not be provided on time due to the unavailability of material and shortage of workforce.
According to sources, shallow foundations during construction only three feet deep instead of the recommended six feet had caused damage to installations.
