JOIN USOne can’t really wish away long powercuts during summer. Powercuts, in fact, are like rubbing salt on the problems that bother Bengalureans almost on a daily basis. While bigger establishments such as hospitals and offices have generators of their own and adequate backup, residents have no such luxury.
Even the UPS in homes don’t last too long and people have started cutting down drastically on the use of luxury gadgets. Washing machines are turned on only twice a week while microwave ovens, toasters and other such appliances are barely used, say some residents. Arfa Samreen, a homemaker who lives in Frazer Town, says the scene is different every week when it comes to power disruption. “Sometimes, there’s no electricity for almost the entire day. We can’t use any of the gadgets in the morning which is a busy time. We can’t charge our phones and even the internet connection doesn’t work. Work gets stalled from all ends,” she explains.
She adds that if there is no power, then there’s no water as well. “Looks like we are heading towards a water and power crisis till it rains,” says Arfa. She observes that erratic water and power supply definitely affect one’s routine.
It’s not just independent houses, apartment blocks and people living in gated communities also face a power crisis and this triggers a water problem as well. Rajashree Reddy, a homemaker, lives in a posh gated community near Bagalur. The enclave doesn’t have a proper generator backup and this has bothered most of the residents living in the enclave. “I have restricted using the washing machine to twice a week and every house has now bought an inverter which allows the use of one fan and one light,” Rajashree says. Thanks to the extensive use of the inverter, Rajashree says that her electricity bill has gone up by at least Rs 1000.
Hospitals and educational institutions too face a crisis with erratic power supply. Most of the big hospitals have adequate generator backup but the worst-affected are the smaller clinics. Dr Naresh Bhat, Chief of Gastroenterology and Liver at Aster CMI Hospital, observes, “The storage of drugs and the ICU require a continuous supply of electricity. Some medicines need to be stored under a particular temperature and most of the equipment in the surgery room require the use of electricity. The bigger hospitals have generators but it is the smaller clinics that are the worst affected.” Dr Naresh also states that even in hospitals, electricity is diverted to priority areas where it is required and some of the consultation rooms are left without air conditioning.
Educational institutions have their own challenges. Nydile Ranganath, a student of design, says she requires a lot of light for her work. “When the power goes off in college, it takes a while before the generators are switched on and the electricity comes back. Light is an important aspect of our work and it becomes difficult when the generators too aren’t working,” she explains. Even students, who are preparing for their final examinations and entrance tests, say powercuts disrupt their schedule and study routine. Avinash Vaidya, a second year pre-university student, says he is preparing for an entrance test in May but he’s unable to stick to his study timetable because of frequent powercuts. “I can’t study at night because it’s too hot when there’s no electricity and sometimes the UPS doesn’t work for too long. And not all the fans and lights can be used when running on the UPS,” rues Avinash.