Relief from power cuts as many switch ACs off after evening rain

KOLKATA: Friday evening's rain not only brought respite from heat, it also provided relief from night-time power cuts that had left a section of citizens exasperated.
With the rain reducing the ambient temperature by nearly 9°C, bringing much needed relief from the sweltering heat that had turned the city into a cauldron for over a week, AC use dropped sharply on Friday. An estimated 2 lakh ACs were switched off as the power demand dropped from 2,386MW at 3.30pm to 1,974MW at 4pm.
The improvement in the weather not only brought immediate respite, it also brought an end to power cuts at night, something that several neighbourhoods have been experiencing over the past few days. Though there is no shortage in power supply, CESC has attributed the outages to rampant increase in unsanctioned AC load that has tripped junction boxes and transformers.
Even on Thursday night, localities across Kolkata reeled under power cuts with some areas experiencing prolonged blackouts. What further fuelled the anger was people's inability to reach out to the utility to lodge a complaint or the latter's lack of response to queries and comments on social media.
At Purbapara in Kasba's Bosepukur, power was off from 11.30pm to 4am. In adjoining Bosepukur Road, power went off at 11pm and came back at 4am. It wasn't very different in Tiljala's Bediadanga where the power went off at 12.30pm and returned at 4.30pm. In Garfa, there were power cuts from 4pm to 7pm, and again for an hour at night. Student Swapna Neel Das of Barisha Silpara near Rupali Sangha Club said the area had been experiencing an hour-long power cut almost everyday this week. The situation has been similar in the Dum Dum Cantonment area.
CESC officials were quick to point out that in the 1970s and 1980s, Kolkata used to experience load-shedding caused by insufficient power to meet demand. "It is not the case now. Every afternoon, we meet the day's peak demand because most of the load - domestic and commercial -is sanctioned. It is at night that some areas have been facing a problem because the unsanctioned load due to use of newly installed ACs that has far outstripped the declared load," an official explained.
The improved weather appears to have solved the problem temporarily. The situation could change if Saturday turns out to be hot and humid. It is only when the pre-monsoon showers begin and then monsoon sets in will there be lasting relief for suffering citizens as well as the harried utility officials.