The Karnataka government has instructed electric supply companies to provide six hours of power to rural irrigation pumpsets up from five hours. This is to save the standing crop, mainly sugarcane, that has been affected by scarce rainfall.
As per a decision taken at a meeting of officials in Bengaluru on Wednesday, farmers will get an additional hour of power. An order issued in this regard says that officials will strive to provide uninterrupted power for six hours, wherever feasible. If not, then staggered power supply of four hours during the day and two hours at night should be provided, the order said.
Staggered supply
“However, most electricity supply companies have decided to provide staggered power supply, owing to power scarcity,’‘ a senior officer in the power ministry said. “This will mean that farmers will get six hours of uninterrupted power, four hours during the day and two hours during the night. For the last few months, they were getting five hours of power. It was divided into three hours during the day and two hours during the night. Before the onset of drought, however, farmers got seven hours of power. Farmers would be divided into three groups and each group would get power during day time, in turns,’‘ she informed.
Hubballi electricity supply company officials say in providing six hours of power, the average load would be around 3,200 mega watt per hour. “It changes from 3,800 MWph during solar hours to 2,400 MWph in the morning and even less in the evening. That is because farmers tend to work more during day light than in the early morning or evening. It is also because the solar panels generate more power during peak solar hours,’‘ Mohammad Roshan, Managing Director, said. “We are confident that we can manage the scarcity situation for the next 20 days or so, when sugar mills will start supplementing power production,’‘ he said.
This arrangement is expected to last for the next three weeks when farmers begin harvesting sugarcane. It will reduce power consumption as they stop watering the crop and power availability will go up as sugar factories begin bagasse-based power production.
In northwest Karnataka, for example, scarcity is less than 10%, officials say. Of the 60 million units needed, around 56 million units are available.
Crocodile show
The inconvenience suffered by farmers due to night time power supply was highlighted when some farmers brought a live crocodile to the HESCOM office at Ronihal village in Vijayapura district on Thursday. They wanted to show the officials the problems they face when they go to the fields in the dark.
