Uttarakhand, the state that gives birth to two of India's holiest rivers, Ganga and Yamuna, is now struggling to keep the lights on. Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) has invoked force majeure and announced power cuts ranging from 35 minutes to a staggering 15 hours, after weak monsoon rainfall reduced river flows and hit hydropower generation across the hill state.
The cuts, staggered by consumer category since September 19, have hit heavy industries the hardest. Units in Kumaon and Garhwal faced the longest outage of 15 hours on September 21 and 22, while Haldwani got off comparatively easy with a 35 minute cut. Rural Kumaon saw around two hours 40 minutes without power, and rural Garhwal about three hours.
