Just before the onset of the monsoons in Goa, the local government authorities take up all kinds of maintenance work. Driving down the roads in Goa, especially in the city areas, one can see tree branches being pruned, gutters being cleaned, potholes being filled and so on. But despite all this, there are still problems like power outages every day. While these happen throughout the year, it seems like they occur more during the monsoons.
State electricity department seems helpless in finding a solution to the multiple power outages
According to the state electricity department, these power outages could go on for another fortnight. The authorities can’t seem to be able to find any solution to this problem and have even expressed helplessness over the same.
“We have restored power supply in most of the areas but load schedule will continue for another fortnight in the state, especially in the coastal areas of north Goa. My department will be issuing shutdown notices on a rotation basis and we appeal to people to cooperate,” said Chief Electrical Engineer (CEC) Neelkanth Reddy.
Reddy has admitted that there is power but the existing infrastructure at each substation cannot handle the load. Therefore, it has become difficult to supply constant power to people.
While the electricity supply already seems to have been spotty, to begin with, it appears to have worsened in the last few weeks. The power outages keep happening due to the scattered thundershowers and lightning that keep occurring. This is compounded by the digging work for the new highway which has also resulted in major power lines getting cut at Porvorim. Therefore, it has compromised the power supply to North Goa’s coastal areas.
So far, the worst affected areas are Porvorim, Nerul, and Saligao. Even Panjim and parts of Taleigao haven’t been spared.
“Power supply to Panaji has three sources and one power supply coming from Porvorim has been affected. We have had to shift to the other sources, which takes around two hours. Hence, areas of the capital city and adjoining areas are also facing power cuts,” he said.
Reasons for the power outages
Reddy added that due to the lightning strikes, a lot of the insulators and conductors have been completely damaged. “High tension lines have double circuits and when we have issues with one circuit then we have to shut down the second line to rectify the first line,” he explained.
Further explanations have revealed that voltage fluctuations are a major contributor to the power outages in North Goa. Weekends are believed to make it worse as this is when there are more tourists in town and therefore more hotel rooms are occupied. Throw in the fact that the summer has been very hot and humid, it has compelled the public to utilize their fans and air-conditioning even more.
This has resulted in the power supply being overloaded. The electricity department is facing a tough time sorting out the issue.
Underground cabling between Porvorim and Saligao is expected to start immediately. However, it is said that this work will still take 6 months to complete. Fortunately enough, South Goa does not seem to be facing the same issue of power outages as the north does since their power supply was restored after the thunderstorms.
Information credit – The Navhind Times
ItsGoa/MAY/KDGP
