Mumbai experienced continued power disruptions in parts of the island city on Monday, with residents in Worli reporting outages from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. In Tardeo, including the area around the Tardeo police station, supply interruptions occurred around 4 p.m. These incidents add to a series of complaints about irregular electricity supply over the past week, exacerbated by humid weather conditions.
Cable Faults and Network Strain
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) utility attributed most of the outages to cable faults and increasing strain on the distribution network. Peak electricity demand in BEST’s supply area has surged to between 900 and 1,000 megawatts (MW) in recent weeks, compared to the usual 800 to 850 MW on normal days. BEST serves approximately 10.8 lakh consumers in the island city.
Call for Load Declaration Updates
The utility has urged residents to update their declared electricity load, especially after installing air-conditioners or other high-consumption appliances. A senior official explained that consumers can submit an online declaration from home to ensure their sanctioned load matches actual usage. By formally recording higher demand, BEST can replace or upgrade cables to improve supply reliability and reduce the likelihood of future outages.
Ageing Infrastructure and Replacement Programme
Sources within BEST indicated that ageing underground cables in parts of the island city are increasingly prone to faults. A cable replacement programme is currently underway, with approximately 50% of the work completed so far. The utility continues to work on upgrading the network to meet growing demand and prevent further disruptions.
