KARACHI: Power outages have been hitting the cities, towns and villages of Sindh, including major cities Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, and Larkana despite the ongoing school examinations.

More than 16 hours of load shedding is being carried out in villages, whereas the government doesn’t lay an eye on the poor villagers despite their complaints. Small towns like Gambat, Ranipur, Agra, Khuhra, and Tando Masti in District Khairpur are second-worst affected while big cities are also facing load shedding within the range of five to three hours and more. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s promise of ending load shedding has badly failed, shattering the revised hopes of the citizens.

Met Office informed that temperature is likely to rise from 18th May while heatwave to persist during next week. Today’s highest temperature is recorded at 48°C in Jacobabad, Sibbi, and Shaheed Benazirabad while Turbat, Larkana, Sakrand, Dadu, Mohenjodaro and Noor Pur, while Thal is facing up to 44 to 46 degrees centigrade.

It is seen that two to three hours of the power outage is being conducted in several areas of Karachi. In many areas, the supply of electricity also remains suspended at night. In some areas, load shedding remains more than three hours.

The students are facing difficulties in preparing for exams at night amid prolonged outages. There are also reports of power outages in education institutes of Karachi as rulers have adopted a lull.

The students said that there shouldn’t be any load-shedding during school hours, adding that they found it difficult to solve their question papers amid power suspension.

In Hyderabad, load-shedding is being conducted during the exam hours of matriculation. The matric students in Hyderabad took English papers on Wednesday. They faced great difficulty as the electricity was suspended during the exam hours.

The citizens have demanded the Prime Minister to meet his promises by ending load shedding in the country and provide immediate relief from this menace which is harmful to public health.

A 16-hour-long power load-shedding during 24 hours is being carried out in thousands of villages of Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, and Hyderabad divisions for the last ten years and there is no one to help them.

The power load shedding in all villages is being carried out daringly. Due to power outages, social activities have been badly affected and people are in trouble.

Saleem Shaikh, a resident of Razidero village in district Khairpur, said their agriculture depends on tube wells which need electricity but due to power outages for up to 16 hours, their crops have been dried as they would face a huge loss in this crop season. There is no decline in power outages despite the formation of the new government in the country, he added.