Unscheduled load shedding badly hit normal life in different parts of the region on Sunday. The matter of concern is that disruption in power supply for two to three hours has become a routine affair here of late.
The electricity supply that went off around 3 pm on Sunday could be restored in different parts of the Haldwani city and adjacent areas only after 5 on Sunday evening. Disruption in smooth supply of power at regular intervals since Sunday morning were only adding to the woes of the citizens here.The matter of concern is that unscheduled power cuts and low voltage problem have also disrupted sooth supply of drinking water particularly in urban areas which are by and large dependent on power driven drinking water distribution system like tube-wells.
According to the figures provided by the Uttarakhand Power Corporation limited (UPCl), whereas gross availability of power in Uttarakhand is around 32.69 million unit (mu) per day i.e. about 15.02 mu per day from domestic sources, about 13.15 mu per day from Central pool and rest about 4.52 mu per day from other sources, the demand for power has gone upto 36.40 mu per day of late.
The fact is that whereas there is no addition to the availability of electricity this month as it remains same around 32.69 mu per day presently as recorded around 32.65 mu per day in the first week of this month, the demand for the electricity has gone upto 36.40 mu per day presently from about 35. 82 mu per day as recorded in the first week of September showing a rise of about 01 mu per day across the hill state.
Due load shedding and local fault as has been reported the electricity situation is not less concerning in hilly and remote areas of the hill state.Whereas as the figures provided by the UPCl suggest, efforts are made to ensure smooth supply of electricity in urban areas of the hill state, to maintain the gap between demand and supply of the electricity, load shedding is imposed in rural areas up to four hours daily.
More so, due to shortage of power, electricity supply to industries also remains disrupted for about five hours daily, as the UPCl figures reflect.