Kashmir reels under ‘winter power distress’
Local power generation dips to 25 of demand
Srinagar: With winter intensifying across the Valley, power generation in Kashmir has dropped sharply to nearly 25 percent of the overall demand, leading to widespread complaints of long and unannounced outages. Residents from several districts say they are facing harsh evenings without heating, affecting daily life, education and even businesses.
In most areas, consumers claim the scheduled cuts last only on paper while the reality is far more difficult. “Every few hours the power goes off without warning. We cannot heat our rooms, children cannot study and even electric gadgets are turning useless,” said Aftab Ahmad, a resident of Hawal, Srinagar. Many households have begun relying on inverters and generators, increasing monthly expenses at a time when temperatures continue to fall.
KPDCL officials, however, attribute the crisis to increased consumption and a significant fall in local generation. “The gap between availability and demand widens sharply in winter. Local hydropower production depends on water discharge, which drops drastically during peak cold months. We are trying to manage load as efficiently as possible,” an official from the department said, adding that efforts are being made to maintain rational cuts.
Several rural belts report even more severe disruptions, claiming only a few hours of supply daily. “Sometimes we don’t see electricity for half the day. Even electric blankets and heaters are useless. We are going back to traditional bukhari,” said Shabnam from Pulwama. Shopkeepers and workshop owners say business hours have reduced and productivity is down by nearly 30 percent since November.
Kashmir, despite having an estimated hydropower potential of over 20,000 MW, currently utilizes only a fraction of it due to infrastructural and policy limitations. Experts believe that better tapping of rivers like Jhelum, Sindh and Chenab could transform the region from a power-deficit to a power-surplus zone. But until long-term capacity building takes shape, officials say distribution constraints and winter demand spikes will continue to challenge grid stability.
For now, residents await relief, hoping for a more reliable supply or faster completion of ongoing augmentation projects. As temperatures drop further, the demand is only expected to rise — intensifying the Valley’s annual power struggle once again.
