Jammu and Kashmir power crunch after 2 hydroelectric plants halt
India
Jammu and Kashmir is dealing with a tough power crunch after two major hydroelectric plants, Baglihar stage I and Salal, were shut down on August 18 for silt removal.
Only Baglihar stage II is back online, while stage I is still stuck due to silt blocking its gates.
This has left the region struggling to keep up with electricity demand.
J&K power shortfall 900 MW
With these shutdowns, the region's power shortfall has shot up by about 900 MW against a peak demand of 2,500 MW.
To make things harder, electricity tariffs are set to rise by 6.83% from September 1.
People are frustrated as unscheduled power cuts continue, even as officials scramble for solutions and the government faces criticism over rising costs.