Bengaluru citizens fear about power woes during monsoon
The Hindu
With pre-monsoon showers leading to a lot of power fluctuations, especially in the night in the city, Bengaluru citizens fear about power woes during monsoon
The pre-monsoon showers this time led to a lot of power fluctuations, especially in the night in the city. Although there were no incidents of uprooted trees or extreme flooding, some localities also witnessed power interruptions which lasted almost half a day.
“If there are minor interruptions in the day, we often do not even notice it. But in the nights, we see repeated instances of power fluctuation. For those who work from home in the night shifts or for students who study till late hours, these unexpected fluctuations are causing a major inconvenience,” complained Nikhila M., an IT employee from Yelahanka.
Although there was rain, the temperature in the city did not drop significantly and hence citizens had to deal with the heat too. Thus, power outages during the daytime also caused some displeasure among consumers.
“Come any season, Bescom does not provide uninterrupted power. On one day, we did not have power for around three hours in the afternoon. Our power backup option does not support continuous running of fans. With senior citizens in the house, it is difficult to manage the heat if such outages occur unexpectedly,” said Sourabh K., a resident of Banashankari.
Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) officials said that not being able to identify rain patterns in the last couple of weeks led to power interruptions, specifically during nights.
“It has mostly rained in the evenings and nights the last few days and as it is dark at those times, it is difficult for us to identify which insulator or wire if faulty. That is why there are fluctuations in the night,” a senior official said.
He further said that if there were rain predictions, then extra staff members were being asked to stay back as the numbers are fewer at nights. With the monsoon soon approaching, Bescom has already begun its preventative work to reduce such interruptions, including the pruning of dry branches, and is confident of managing without major outages this year unless there are heavy winds or large trees uprooted.