KEY POINTS
- Govt announces country-wide power shutdown for grid maintenance and upgrades
- Authorities cite seasonal water shortages behind lower hydel generation, not system failure
- Officials reject claims of India stopping river flows into Pakistan
- Shutdown is described as preventive measure to improve grid stability and reduce outages
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal authorities on Monday announced a planned, country-wide power shutdown, saying the outages are part of routine grid maintenance, transmission upgrades and system optimisation. Officials have dismissed speculation linking the outages to alleged water shortages and external interference.
Officials from the Power Division stated that the shutdown will be implemented in phases, with distribution companies issuing feeder-wise schedules to help households and businesses plan.
The exercise, they said, is aimed at strengthening the national grid, reducing technical losses and limiting unplanned outages during peak demand periods.
As details of the shutdown emerged, claims circulated in parts of the media and on social platforms suggesting that the outages were triggered by an acute collapse in hydel-power generation, allegedly caused by depleted reservoirs and any reported stoppage of river flows by India.
Energy officials acknowledged that hydel generation is currently operating below peak capacity, but linked the decline to seasonal factors, including reduced snowfall, delayed snowmelt and lower rainfall, which have constrained inflows into major reservoirs.
The National Power Control Centre has previously cautioned that such conditions typically suppress hydel output during specific periods of the year, with recovery expected as inflows improve.
At the same time, authorities and water sector experts firmly rejected claims that India has stopped Pakistan’s water supply.
Officials stated that there is no evidence of any physical interruption of river flows entering Pakistan, noting that upstream infrastructure does not allow for an abrupt or complete cutoff.
Experts explained that recent concerns largely stem from India’s suspension of certain cooperative mechanisms under the Indus Waters Treaty, including aspects of data sharing, rather than any action capable of immediately reducing water volumes reaching Pakistan.
Hydrologists emphasised that seasonal and climatic variables, along with domestic water management, remain the dominant factors influencing reservoir levels and hydel-generation.
Government sources maintained that the scheduled shutdown is unrelated to external water actions, describing it instead as a planned operational step linked to grid maintenance, load management and transmission upgrades.
They added that emergency services and critical installations will continue to receive priority supply during the outage periods.
Consumers have been advised to monitor outage schedules issued by their respective distribution companies and to adopt conservation measures during the shutdown window, as authorities seek to stabilise supply and improve system reliability.
