Showing posts with label WAPDA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAPDA. Show all posts

Feb 24, 2013

Blackout in Pakistan

By H.
Approximately two hours ago, Pakistan suffered from a major power failure. More than 80% of the country was without power. The cause of the power failure according to WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) was HUBCO (a power plant located near Karachi). HUBCO contributes 1200MW of electricity to the national power grid. Due to a technical fault, the power plant failed causing all of the load to be shifted to Mangla and Tarbela power houses. Mangla contributes 600MW to the national power grid while Tarbela contributes 1800MW. When they were overloaded with this new power burden, they also tripped causing a nationwide blackout. As of right now (2:00 am PST), WAPDA is gradually restoring the power supply to all affected areas. Embedded below are tweets providing information about the power failure in Pakistan.






















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Jul 25, 2012

Thank you WAPDA. Thank you for bricking my phone.

By H.
Nokia Lumia 800
The title says it all. I had a Nokia Lumia 800. A Windows Phone 7.5 device. I had it. I don't have it any more. Because its been bricked. Because of WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority).

I was updating the software when the electricity went. In the middle of the update. The result? A phone that is essentially dead, which won't start, won't charge and won't do anything else. It is nothing more than a very beautiful paperweight.

Now I can curse WAPDA, I can curse my luck, I can curse Microsoft for not having the foresight to plan for a backup in case such a scenario took place (like Samsung do with their Galaxy S II) or I can curse Nokia for well, failing miserably in pointing out this flaw to Microsoft. But what will be the point of all that? Somehow I am prone to curse myself. I should have known the light would go. And go it did.

I've been up the whole night. I've just had sehri. And now I'm typing this out because well frankly, I don't know what else to do. Maybe this will serve as a warning to the many million Pakistanis out there who are thinking of updating their phones. My advice? Don't do it. Wait till, well wait till whenever the electricity stabilises. If it ever does. Or use an uninterrupted power supply unit to power your computer and the internet modem.

If there is any good to come of this whole predicament (oh yes there is), its that I've become a lot more patient. In the olden days I was prone to fly off the handle and lambast everything till my head hurt. Not any more. I calmly searched the internet for solutions and now that I realise there are none, I've quietly accepted my fate.

So yeah, thank you WAPDA. Thank you so much.
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