A tangled mess of transmission & distribution losses

Tangled wires crisscross the streets in many parts of Karachi, forming a chaotic web overhead. It’s almost impossible to discern the purpose of each cable as they hang carelessly, draping over trees, poles, and buildings, contributing to the city’s already overwhelming visual clutter. Amid this disorder, countless kundas — illegal connections used to steal electricity — are common. In a country where disputes over electricity bills can escalate to tragic extremes, like a recent case where an older brother killed his younger sibling over a bill of just Rs30,000, it’s not hard to understand why some might resort to such desperate measures. However, transmission & distribution (T&D) losses have added many billions of rupees to the circular debt which in turn pushes electricity tariffs up. Quoting statistics from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), a World Bank report compares Pakistan’s T&D’s losses at around 16.5pc in FY23 to 3.4pc in South Korea, 5pc in the United States, and 4.5pc in China.