Tree-Pruning

Analysis & Improvement

Department

Report No 11
June ’10
 Objective of Survey
Reducing HT (Overhead) faults and safety risks.

§ Tree limbs are the most common cause of power

outages.
§ During windy and stormy weather, swaying and
broken tree limbs can rub against and hit power
lines. Such impacts can cause service fluctuations,
widespread outages and fires.
§ Trees that grow near power lines pose a serious
safety risk to Power Systems as well as Humans.

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 2

 Survey Of Over-
Over-head Feeders
Our Analysis & Improvement team conducted a survey of 18
Over-head feeders.

According to this survey, 9 out of 18 HT lines require major

Tree-Pruning.

List of surveyed Feeders:

• Punjab Town
§ KDA + Globe • Alazmat Park wala
§ Decent + Agha • Jam Sibtain Feeder
§ Sunlay Developers • Paposh Nagar
§ Khalid pumping • State bank
§ KESC rest house • Asghar Ali Shah + Board of secondary
§ Pole:58 • Pahar Ganj
§ Farhat bagh • Mustafabad Pumping
§ Memon Goth + • Youth Center
• Block A + Shipowner’s College
Telephone Exchange
June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 3
 Memon Goth Malir

Power lines running through tree branches

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 4

 Memon Goth Malir

HT OH lines covered by trees can be a threat of conductor breakage and

can even knock-down the OH pole.

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 5

 KDA globe feeder

Conductors passing through over-grown tree limbs

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 6

 Gulshan

PMT and HT Mains surrounded by Exceeding safe distance between

out-grown tree branches at Sehba tree branches and HT pole.
Akhtar road, Gulshan.

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 7

 North Nazimabad

HT pole situated inside tree- HT OH lines piercing through

branches opposite Paposh Nagar the tree stems at residential
Graveyard, beside a bungalow. area, North- Nazimabad.

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 8

 Problem Identification
• HT Lines going through tree branches leads to
Power failures.

• During rainy season or high-speed gust, frequent

faults occur:
§ Conductor breakage
§ Heavy spark
§ Reduction in safe distance between power lines
§ Voltage fluctuation
§ Fire
§ Safety hazards, jeopardizing human-life

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 9

 Consequences
• Interruptions in power supply

• Loss in business

• Thousands of consumers suffer

• Additional issues: water crisis

June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 10

 Suggested Safety Measures
• A task may be assigned to complete tree-pruning activities before
monsoon .

• Operations team may survey the OH feeders and point out the areas
where tree pruning is essentially needed.

• Tree-Pruning by third partyà prune every tree that could potentially

come into contact with power lines and/or surrounding electrical poles.

• Adapt a proactive approachà When Planting a tree consider the full-

grown height of the tree i.e. Small trees, less than 20 feet tall, should be
planted near power lines by Town administration.

• Manager M&C / IBC may conduct tree pruning in their respective regions
with KESC workforce and with coordination of local town administration.
June '10 Karachi Electric Supply Company Limted 11
Thank you