Bangalore faces power, water outages

Bangalore faces power, water outages
Financial Express

BANGALORE, MARCH 9 : Come summer, more than 1,800 large, medium and small IT firms and thousands of corporate establishments based in Bangalore are expected to face acute power shortage. Though the government has promised uninterrupted power supply, frequent power cuts have become a daily phenomena in several areas of Bangalore.

All hydro and thermal stations in Karnataka are operating in full capacity, but a rapid growth in population has widened the gap between demand and supply for power in the city. Government estimates project the city's population strength at 60 lakh, but according to unofficial statistics, the figure was close to one crore, including a floating population in Greater Bangalore.

In the circle of the State-owned Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), which supplies power to Bangalore and its suburban areas, the number of consumers is expected to increase by 12% to 58.65 lakh during 2006-07 from 52.52 lakh consumers two years ago.

According to figures available with Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL), the power demand in the State at present increased by a whopping 15% to 133 million units (mu) a day from 116 mu a year ago. The State could supply only 115 mu to 117 mu a day, leading to daily shortage of around 17 mu, which is estimated to increase to 25 mu per day during summer.

The Sstate's installed capacity stood at 7,785 MW against the peak-hour requirement of 8,823 MW. In BESCOM alone, annual energy consumption in the current fiscal is expected to touch 18,600 mu, up 15% from 16,128 mu a year ago. Now after failing to tap external sources of power, the State government plans to procure power from captive power stations established by more than 30 private and public entities for their own purpose in Karnataka.

The water supply across Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is also expected to take a hit due to the power shortage. Currently, water demand in the city stood at around 1,200 liters per day but Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) has managed to supply only 900 MLD, primarily pumping from the Cauvery river.

According to official sources, BWSSB could not avail the required power to supply adequate water to the city even after paying huge amount as electric charges. If the power shortage widens in summer, it is understood that the BWSSB might reduce the frequency of water supply from alternative days currently to once in three days, Board sources said.