Generatorer og stearinlys i brug for at skaffe lys og energi i det kæmpemæssige land, hvor el-nettet er forældet og ekstremt overbelastet, fordi udbygningen ikke har kunnet følge med bl.a. den voksende middelklasses stigende forbrug.
Around 600 million people have been left without electricity in northern and eastern India after a massive power breakdown, BBC online reports Tuesday.
More than half the country and 20 of India’s states were hit by the power cuts after three grids (ledningsnet) collapsed – one for a second day.
Hundreds of trains have come to a standstill and hospitals are running on backup generators.
The country’s power minister has blamed the crisis on states drawing too much power from the national grid. Reports have suggested that Uttar Pradesh is among the states that government officials have been blaming for the grid collapse.
By late on Tuesday, officials said the north-eastern grid was fully up and running. The northern grid was running at 75% capacity and the eastern at 40%.
Much of the country’s railway network has started moving again, although there is a huge backlog to clear.
Power cuts are common in Indian cities because of a fundamental shortage of power and an ageing grid – the chaos caused by such cuts has led to protests and unrest on the streets in the past.
But the collapse of an entire grid is rare – the last time the northern grid failed was in 2001, BBC notes.
India’s demand for electricity has soared in recent years as its economy has grown but its power infrastructure has been unable to meet the growing needs. Unless there is a huge investment in the power sector, the country will see many more power failures.
