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Power outages worsen heat woes in Jammu
Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) claimed it has been trying hard to tide over the situation and hoped that the situation would improve in the next 8 to 10 days when monsoons hit the region.
With no let up in excessive heatwave conditions across Jammu region, the power scenario has also been hit across Jammu region causing hardships to the people, especially in the plains where mercury has been hovering above 40 degrees Celsius and even soared to 47.6 degrees Celsius in Kathua on Monday.
However, Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) claimed it has been trying hard to tide over the situation and hoped that the situation would improve in the next 8 to 10 days when monsoons hit the region.
JPDCL’s chief engineer Manhar Gupta said, “Roughly our daily demand across Jammu region is 1,500 megawatt but we are managing the situation with 1,200 mw to 1,300 mw. At times we do even get 1,530 mw.”
“To tide over the situation, we are trying to sanitise people about judicial use of electricity. We are also removing illegal load (power pilferage) because pilferage does take place,” said Gupta.
The chief engineer informed that the JPDCL has also done smart metering in Jammu in a big way.
“Jammu city being a major power consumption area, we have done smart metering in a big way. With smart metering, either the electricity consumption has gone down, or it is being is accounted for. Pilferage has gone down drastically,” he said
Gupta also informed that whenever the situation peaks posing risk to the power infrastructure, the department goes for distress curtailment.
“To save the infrastructure, we go for distress curtailment for half an hour or an hour to prevent big damage”, he said.
He hoped that the situation would ease in the next eight to ten days when rains hit the region.
“We have 10 to 12 divisions and all of them have been given transformers, conductors, cables and poles to manage any contingency. There are standing instructions to restore the affected immediately because temperatures are high and there is excessive heatwave,” he said.
On industrial sector, he informed that the department has ensured that there was curtailment because any disruption causes loss to productivity.
President of the Bari-Brahmana Industrial Association, Lalit Mahajan said, that he presents power scenario in the industrial estate was satisfactory.
“We are getting 24-hour power supply but there is a shortage of linemen. There is only one or two linemen for the industrial estate, which has 400 industrial units,” said Mahajan.
Further, in case of a major breakdown of 132 KV lines, there should be a looping system for supply from alternate source, he added.
The Met department has forecast partly to general cloudy weather with possibility of light rain/thunder/gusty winds at scattered places of Kashmir and isolated places of Jammu region till June 21.
“On June 22 and 23, there shall be possibility of light rain/thunder at isolated places. On June 24 and 25, the weather will remain generally dry with the possibility of light rain/thunder at isolated places,” said the Met official.
The heatwave over plains of Jammu region will persist for the next five days, he added.
