Bangalore's power struggle

Bangalore's power struggle
By: B V Shiva Shankar Date: 2009-06-30 Place:Bangalore



The Hydel reservoirs are almost dry. MiD DAY looks at what you are in for if it doesn't rain over the next couple of days

Ten days. That's how long the present water reserves can generate power for you. And then, Bangalore is in for a really really hard time.

According to an official at the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC), the dams are almost dry, and the coal reserves will last only a week.

This implies 100 per cent load shedding, seen only once in 1983 when R Gundu Rao was chief minister.

So how will this affect your day-to-day life? Here are some scenarios you might want to prepare for:

SHOPPING AT THE GROCER'S
> Prices of food items may go up. "We pay BESCOM Rs 3.80 for every unit of power we use, but when we use the generator we have to spend Rs 12. If this goes on for a long time, we would be left with no option but to pass on the burden to the customers," said a manager at Reliance Fresh.
> Preservation of perishables will be difficult, resulting in a price hike.

AT THE OFFICE
> The heat will be on at work since ACs will be turned off.
> Your trusty old laptop might not last long, and the UPS will soon give way under the load of multiple office PCs.
> Cold water or cool drinks too won't be available as your water dispensers and refrigerators won't work.

AT HOME
> You will have to forego hot water for your bath, provided you have water at all. The water board needs power to supply water. The shortage of water will compound the problem.
> Prepare to go back to your pre-mobile-phone days since you will not be able to charge your handsets.
> Inverters may keep you going for a while but will die soon without power to re-charge.
> Like a homemaker living in Basavanagudi did yesterday, you might have to send your spouse to JP Nagar to get the flour ground. Chances are JP Nagar will not have power either.

AT THE HOSPITALS
> It is a question of life and death here as life-supporting systems may not last on back-up for long.
> Operating rooms too will be dark.

AT THE MOVIES
Surprisingly, you may get to see favourite movies at a multiplex.
"We have 100 per cent power back-up in both our Fame properties in Bangalore and we are ready for any kind of emergency," said Rishi Negi, CEO, Fame Cinemas
Movie buffs however are ready to forego their favorite pastime.
"It's important that it rains for various reasons, movies can wait," said Liszel Nathaniel, a freelance writer.
"I'm a huge Bollywood fan, but I really hope and pray that it starts raining," said Monica Bakhle, HR professional.

Reactions

If this happens we're definitely going to face problems. We have a generator for back-up but that will last only about four to five hours. We will call the power board and demand power since we are in a commercial area
Mahesh, assistant manager of Couch on M G Road

It's going to be tough since we serve only beer and that has to be served chilled. We are also open since morning because we serve breakfast, so our losses may be high. Fortunately we don't use ACs, but even then the generator is good for only 4-5 hours
Nagesh Raju, cashier of Pecos on Brigade Road

The load shedding over the last few days has been horrendous. We try to use candlelight but the customers are not happy. The noise of the generator too is deafening, and we end up spending Rs 500 a day to keep it running for the microwave, refrigerator and basic lighting
Neenal Pal, manager of Bistro and Claytopia in Indiranagar