Coal center of IndiaJarkhand, became one of the hardest hit by ‘hellish weather’ in the country which reached 42-45 degrees Celsius.

Heat wave in India is impacting the electricity crisis in the country, Jharkhand is no exception. In fact, this city is one of the major coal producers in India which has 150 mines.

Coal powers more than 70% of the country’s electricity production.

Many residents of this coal-rich region have complained that the frequent power cuts disrupt their lives and work.

“There is an open pit coal mine on what used to be my land. However, we have had no power for 10 hours or more,” said Jarkhan resident Rajak (30) quoted Reuters Thursday (26/5).

He later shared, “We’ve been burning with this pollution for years from the coal mine, but we got nothing. All I want is for my wife to be comfortable and can take a bath at home.”

Extreme heat in India is pushing electricity consumption to an all-time high. Many people turned on the air conditioner, causing a power outage.

Responding to complaints from residents, the head of Jarkhan Electricity Board said the area has enough electricity to meet demand in the summer. This represents approximately 2,600 megawatts of electricity from federal, private and public electric utilities.

Managing Director of Jharkhand State Power Distribution Company, KK Verma said that as long as Jharkhand gets full allocation from the central power company, there will be no power shortage in the state.

However, Kumar Yadav, director of the industrial pollution program at the Nivit Center for Science and the Environment, has his own opinion.

For him, this dependence is at the heart of the country’s electricity crisis. Indeed, national power plants are unable to meet demand, in part due to a severe shortage of coal.

“Jharkhand hasn’t added a megawatt of electricity in two decades and has been buying power from thermal power plants in other states which have their own priorities,” Yadav said.

(isa/asr)