Shangla – Residents of Shangla are facing severe hardships as prolonged electricity outages continue across the district amid an intense heatwave. In several areas, power cuts lasting up to three or four consecutive hours are disrupting daily life, public services and business activities.
The worsening electricity situation has sparked widespread public concern, with consumers complaining that prolonged and unscheduled load-shedding has become a daily occurrence despite the district’s significant contribution to the national power grid through local hydropower generation.
Local residents said the situation has become even more frustrating because many government offices and official residences in Shangla have already been shifted to solar energy systems. As a result, government officials continue to perform their duties in air-conditioned offices with uninterrupted electricity, while ordinary citizens remain exposed to prolonged power outages and extreme summer temperatures.
According to residents, several administrative offices, including the district administration, now operate on solar power, ensuring an uninterrupted electricity supply regardless of outages in the national grid. They alleged that because senior officials are no longer directly affected by electricity interruptions, there appears to be little urgency in addressing the growing difficulties faced by the general public.
However, many government departments and public institutions are still without solar energy systems and remain entirely dependent on the conventional electricity supply. Consequently, people travelling from remote areas to government offices frequently encounter serious difficulties whenever electricity is unavailable.
Citizens said they often have to wait for hours to complete official work, while many are forced to visit private businesses to charge mobile phones, obtain printed documents and access other essential services, incurring additional expenses.
The prolonged outages have also adversely affected public healthcare services. A number of government and private hospitals reportedly lack adequate solar backup systems, making them vulnerable to extended electricity interruptions.
Residents have appealed to Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON, Engineer Amir Muqam, to intervene immediately and direct the relevant authorities to end prolonged load-shedding in the district.
They alleged that consumers on one electricity feeder serving Kana Tehsil are subjected to between 16 and 18 hours of power outages each day, severely affecting domestic life, commercial activity and agricultural operations.
They urged the federal government and the relevant power authorities to take immediate notice of the worsening situation, ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply during the ongoing heatwave, and direct the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and other concerned agencies to implement effective and sustainable measures to eliminate excessive load-shedding in the district.
