KINS Desk

Jammu, Jan 23 (KINS): Incessant rainfall and heavy snowfall across several parts of the Jammu Division have severely impacted the power infrastructure, leading to an unprecedented drop in electricity demand, Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) said on Friday.

According to JPDCL, the power demand in the Jammu Division plunged to an all-time low of 140 MW around 4:00 AM, compared to the normal average running load of about 1070 MW.

However, due to continuous restoration efforts, the running load has now been increased to 564 MW, restoring nearly 52 per cent of the overall power supply so far.

In District Jammu, the power system was mainly affected by heavy rainfall, strong winds, and uprooted trees falling on high-tension and low-tension lines. JPDCL said restoration work is in full swing, with field teams deployed on priority to attend faults and repair damaged infrastructure.

The corporation as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) stated that restoration is currently being hampered due to inaccessibility of snow-bound and rain-hit areas, especially in hilly and remote regions. The worst-affected areas include parts of Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Doda, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, Samba, and other higher reaches of the Jammu Division.

At the sub-transmission level, JPDCL has restored 92 out of 181 (66/33 kV) lines, achieving nearly 50 per cent restoration as of 12 noon. Similarly, at the distribution level, 568 out of 1373 (11 kV) feeders have been restored, while work on the remaining accessible feeders is being taken up on priority.

JPDCL said that adequate manpower and machinery have been mobilized to assess major damages and ensure systematic and early restoration of power supply across all affected regions.

The corporation assured the public that all possible efforts are being made to normalize power supply at the earliest, despite the challenging weather and terrain conditions.(KINS)