To prepare its Roshni Bajis and “Mohallah Safety Champions” for a heatwave, KE worked with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sindh to offer a one-day “Heatwave Relief Training” that included lessons on basic first aid, heat sickness, and how to manage heatstroke and fatigue.
Karachi Electricity Authority (KEA) has been working with Roshni Bajis, neighborhood safety ambassadors who have been educating Karachi people since 2021 about the dangers of power theft and energy conservation. The first group of 40 women was enrolled in February 2021, and the second group of 60 women was enrolled in November.
More than 380,000 families in Karachi have benefited from these women’s collective efforts to raise awareness about energy safety. There is a significant risk to the public when there is faulty or improvised wiring in the inside of a building. If the locals had been properly educated and sensitized, many of these instances may have been avoided entirely. The Roshni Bajis have recognized 40 women in the communities where they operate as “Mohallah Safety Champions,” who are spearheading the campaign to instill a culture of safety among their peers long after the Roshni Bajis have concluded their drives.
Combating Kundas
In addition to the Roshni Bajis and Mohallah Safety Champions, the organization has a thorough safety policy. Karachi’s people are put at risk by the theft of energy through kundas and illegal wiring, resulting in injuries and even death.
More than 200 incidences of electrocution were reported in Karachi between 2021 and 2022 owing to kundas that leaking current or within premises. Kunda removal drives are ongoing across Karachi, thanks to the tireless efforts of KE’s distribution field workers. Over the course of a single day, workers working in the Lyari and Baldia regions removed more than 4,500 kg of kundas.
The removal of Kunda is not a simple process. KE’s teams are frequently confronted by local citizens who feel entitled to steal power, ignoring the dangers to their own safety and the safety of the community as a whole. In spite of the difficulties, the utility’s employees continue their efforts to establish safe and secure settings that allow for uninterrupted electricity delivery. Karachi’s future is brighter and safer thanks to these measures.