Soaring mercury drives up power demand in Karnal

Parveen Arora

Karnal, June 19

As the temperature continues to soar, the district is witnessing a surge in power demand, creating a major challenge for the authorities of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

As per an estimate, the daily power consumption is going up by nearly 8 to 9 lakh units, putting additional pressure on the already stretched power infrastructure. Earlier this month, the demand was increasing by 4 to 5 lakh units per day.

The sweltering heat has led to a spike in the use of air conditioners and fans, driving up electricity consumption. Moreover, farmers are transplanting paddy in their fields and consistent electricity is required for operating tubewells.

The data says the current demand is 174 lakh units per day across the district, with agriculture accounting for 76 lakh units. On this date last year, the power demand was 131 lakh units, including 52 lakh units for the agriculture sector.

Officials are working tirelessly to meet the rising demand, ensuring that the power supply remains uninterrupted. They are hopeful that rainfall will reduce the power demand.

“We are experiencing an unprecedented rise in power demand due to the high temperature, which sometimes leads to the overloading of feeders and breakdown of the supply. We have been working to ensure an uninterrupted power supply,” said an employee of the power department.

Kashik Mann, Superintending Engineer, UHBVN, Karnal circle, said they have been making efforts to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all sectors.

“No doubt, the demand has increased to a great extent, but our teams are working around the clock to manage the load and ensure continuous supply,” said the SE.

ACs overheating, developing snags due to excess use

As the mercury continues to rise, residents are using air conditioners (AC) to keep themselves cool. These are running beyond their limits due to which ACs are overheating and developing snags.

Puneet Kumar, who repairs ACs, said several households have reported that their ACs are breaking down or these are not cooling effectively amid the sweltering heat. “We have been flooded with these kind of complaints and this is making it difficult for us to respond promptly,” he added.

“We rely on our AC to get through these hot days, but it is not working properly as it frequently gets shutdown. We have called up the service centre multiple times, but it is overburdened with similar complaints,” said Sunil Arora, a local resident.