power-cut citing less production makes the living misurable

Imagine the condition of a regular power failure when the temperature remains above 44 degrees Celsius. This is what exactly people of Sambalpur are now experiencing in mid-June due to exceptional delay in monsoon. Acute shortage of drinking water adds to their miseries. When environmental activists believes this is a part of the effect of the global warming and an outcome of the blind industrialization that has taken place over the past few years, common people think it due to the anger of the rain of god. But what ever the reason might be, it is the common people who suffer in such a salutation.

Sources said, regular power failure in the city has become a regular phenomenon over a period past one month and the town remains in darkness for more than 3 hours every day with out any prior declaration. More over there is no fixed timing and it is done at the mercy of the wesco, the power supply company. When the officials asked on duty do not give any satisfactory reply to their act. “We are forced to slash power supply there is a shortage in power production. We do not get power as per our demand so decision has been taken to cut power for one hour in every area to adjust the supply demand ratio”, the executive engineer (WESCO) SK Darji told.
Sources said, Sambalpur has a demand of 62 MW in the peak hours, but due to shortage in power production in Hirakud and Kaniha, the supply has been restricted to 40 MW. The rest 22 MW has been adjusted through power cut during peak hour. Though there is a decision at official level to restrict the power cut for a hour only but in practical it become more than 2 to 3 hours every day. Some time it becomes more than 3 hours in some places. On the other hand power generation in Hirakud has effected drastically because of the acute water shortage. It produces only 10 MW in place of 254 MW. “We have fixed a time for the power cut for each area but some time it is difficult to maintain because of the disparity in distribution power. We act as per the instruction of the Gridco which distributes the power in the state”, Mr. Darji added.

On the other hand, the temperature remains as high as 44 degree Celsius in Sambalpur over past one week. When the temperature was 45 degree on Wednesday, it remained 44.8 on Thursday. On Friday the temperature was recorded as 44.6 degree and Saturday it remained at 44.0 degree Celsius, sources said. To add to the apathy there is also a shortage of drinking water in the town. “We are suffering from the acute shortage of drinking water because of the regular power failure. If this condition persists for few more days than it would be difficult for the people to live”, councilor Ashok Soni told.

However environmentalist and activist Ranjan panda described that global warming has an effect on the delay in monsoon. “As we do not have a hand in the monsoon we better wait for it.”, Panda said. “But what is in our hand is ‘balancing the temperature’ by preserving nature. But it does not happen because of the blind industrialization. The temperature in industrial belt has gone us drastically”, Ranjan Panda added. But these mean nothings to the common men who pray the rain of god ‘Indra” for an early rain.