India unable to keep up with rising power demand

World Today

India unable to keep up with rising power demand

Northern India is seething under a heat wave with record high temperatures. In Delhi, the power crisis sparked protests and even riots. CCTV’s Shweta Bajaj tells us what has been heating up the Indian capital.
The unprecedented heat has put pressure demands on India’s power supply, leading to power cuts across North India. Scorching heat in Northern India has put the attention back to its power woes and lack of energy infrastructure. In some parts of North India temperatures have been above 46 degrees for nearly a week now. In New Delhi, there has been a serious shortage of power and water.

People took to the streets on Thursday to protest against the government’s lack of resolve to provide basic amenities like electricity and water. Delhi has suffered long spells of power cuts as government controls the power supply to meet the challenges of rising demand.

Delhi recorded its highest temperature in 62 years at 47.8 degrees recently and tempers are rising alongside temperatures. While the new BJP government has been quick to blame the previous government for the lack of energy infrastructure, people are not in the mood for a finger pointing game.

To meet the power shortage, The Indian government has cut power supply to shopping malls after 10pm and has asked offices to use air conditioning sparingly. The increase in temperatures in the recent weeks led to a spike in power demand of from 8000 megawatts to 11000 megawatts.
The heat has also resulted in many deaths in North India. India has struggled to keep up with the rising demand for power with faulty transmission lines and overloaded grids. It was only in 2012, that a power blackout left half of India without electricity.