Grid collapse in India leaves over 650 million without electricity
1 August 2012
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/aug2012/indi-a01.shtml

India power cut hits millions, among world's worst outages
Reuters
<http://news.yahoo.com/even-wider-blackouts-sweep-india-second-day-090157631.html>

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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/07/31

Published on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 by Common Dreams

600 Million without Power as India Suffers Major Blackout

- Common Dreams staff

The second blackout in two days has left more than 600 million people 
-- about half of India's population of 1.2 billion -- without power 
across the Indian subcontinent.

The outage -- one of the world's biggest-ever blackouts -- stopped 
hundreds of trains in their tracks, darkened traffic lights, 
shuttered the Delhi Metro and left everyone from the police to water 
utilities to private businesses and citizens without electricity, 
according to the New York Times.

The failure happened without warning just after 1:00 pm there, 
according to officials at the Uttar Pradesh Power Corp. On Monday, a 
similar failure left 300 million without power in northern regions of 
the country

"Initial reports are saying that [electric] trains have stopped, [as 
well] as the Delhi Metro," reported Nilanjan Chowhdhury, an Al 
Jazeera producer in New Delhi. Traffic lights were also reported to 
not be operational in the capital.

"The reason is the same [as for Monday's outage]: apparently there 
was overloading of the grid, and this has happened at a location 
about 100km from Delhi, in Agra."

India's demand for electricity has soared along with its economy in 
recent years, notes a report by the Associated Press, "but utilities 
have been unable to meet the growing needs." India's Central 
Electricity Authority reported power deficits of more than 8 percent 
in recent months.

The AP continues: "The power deficit was worsened by a weak monsoon 
that lowered hydroelectric generation and kept temperatures higher, 
further increasing electricity usage as people seek to cool off.

"But any connection to the grid remains a luxury for many. One-third 
of India's households do not even have electricity to power a light 
bulb, according to last year's census."


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