Pak textile sector suffers $70m loss due to power outage

The textile sector in Pakistan incurred a whopping financial loss of $70 million as a result of national grid failure that led to a massive countrywide power outage, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Industries all over Pakistan were halted after the significant power outage at around 7:34am on Monday, leaving many cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Islamabad, without electricity.

As per the sources, the economic damage to the textile industry will reach billions of rupees if the government fails to guarantee a reliable power supply

Arshad Khan, a senior official of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), said the losses incurred due to the outage, however, could be worth billions of rupees.

According to a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Energy, the national grid's frequency dropped around 7.34am, leading to a 'widespread breakdown' in the electricity system. Additionally, it stated that Warsak was the starting point for the repair of grid stations.

Citizens have to ensure load-shedding for the next 48 hours.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday regretted the 'inconvenience' to the citizens due to the power outage on Monday.

He also ordered an inquiry to determine the reasons for the power failure and fix the responsibility.

"On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to the power outage yesterday. On my orders, an inquiry is underway to determine the reasons for the power failure. Responsibility will be fixed," tweeted Shehbaz Sharif.

According to Geo TV, the electricity outage lasted for more than 16 hours, especially when temperatures were forecast to fall to around 4 degrees Celsius in Islamabad and 8 degrees Celsius in Karachi.