ISLAMABAD: While electricity has been restored to more than 1.34 million consumers across flood-hit regions of Pakistan, nearly 295,000 families remain without power, forced to endure nights of darkness, fear, and mounting hardship as recovery efforts continue.
According to the Power Division’s latest report, issued on September 6, a total of 1,638,844 consumers were initially affected when 50 grid stations and 511 feeders went offline due to devastating floods. So far, 1,344,071 consumers have had power fully or partially restored, but for thousands of families, light has yet to return.
In Faisalabad and surrounding districts under the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), over 128,000 households remain cut off. “Our children cry at night because they are afraid of the dark. We cannot store food, and medicines spoil without refrigeration,” said a resident of Jhang, describing the toll prolonged outages have taken on daily life.
In southern Punjab, more than 110,000 consumers under Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) remain without supply. Residents of submerged villages said they are forced to rely on kerosene lamps and costly generators, stretching already thin household budgets. “We spend more on fuel now than on food,” one farmer in Muzaffargarh lamented.
The situation is similar in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas, where thousands still await reconnection. Although the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has restored supply to more than 461,000 of its 463,375 affected consumers, families in pockets of Buner and Shangla remain without electricity. In North Waziristan and Khyber, nearly 24,000 consumers are still waiting for the lights to come back on.
Lahore and Gujranwala have fared better, with restoration reaching most households. Still, thousands remain in limbo, depending on candles and shared generators to get through the evenings.
Government officials said that teams are working around the clock to reconnect the remaining 294,773 households, though progress in several areas depends on floodwaters receding to allow safe access to damaged infrastructure.
For families in rural Sindh and Punjab, however, the wait is agonizing. “We have survived the floods, but now we are surviving the darkness,” said a mother of three in a MEPCO-affected village. “Electricity will bring life back to our homes.”
The Power Division said restoring supply to the remaining consumers is its top priority, but until then, tens of thousands of families remain trapped between floodwaters and blackouts — their resilience tested each day.
