45.6°C Heatwave Intensifies Power Outage Troubles in Nagpur
Nagpur, India- Many areas in the city experienced multiple power cuts throughout Monday night, with some neighbourhoods without electricity until Tuesday morning. Residents of Mahal, Ram Nagar, Omkar Nagar, Nandanvan, Jaripatka, and Reshimbagh reported enduring a tough night due to fluctuating voltage and outages lasting from 5 minutes to several hours.
As Nagpur faced its highest temperature of the season at 45.6 degrees Celsius on Monday, many citizens had a sleepless night due to repeated power outages. Media inquiries revealed that the disruptions were caused by overloading at transformers. A senior MSEDCL official explained, "Transformer issues were resolved quickly at night. Only in Nandanvan was maintenance work carried out in the morning, with customers informed beforehand."
The official noted that many people have not updated their registered power usage, causing infrastructure strains based on outdated data. Last year’s peak usage was 711.9 MW, compared to this year's 756.25 MW. The official urged consumers to update their power usage information online or at MSEDCL centres.
Shweta Bakshi from Omkar Nagar described the ordeal: "Power went off around 2 am, returned for 20 minutes, then cut out again until 6:30 am, leaving us frustrated and sweating." Mrinalini Phadnaik, a senior citizen from Ram Nagar, experienced similar issues: "The electricity went off several times for 30-40 minutes each and then again in the morning for over an hour. The heat was unbearable and suffocating."
Harshal Lokhande from Shrinath Sai Nagar, an IT employee, highlighted the challenges of power outages during work: "It's extremely challenging if we get disconnected during a meeting due to a power cut. My baby also wakes up within a minute of a power cut because of the heat."
