Heat, monsoon deficit push power demand in Haryana; irate villagers stage protests over outages
Haryana is experiencing a significant surge in electricity demand due to extreme heat and a monsoon deficit, leading to widespread power outages and public protests. Government officials attribute the strain to increased agricultural and industrial activity while promising to manage the load through infrastructure improvements.
Why it matters
The crisis highlights the vulnerability of regional power grids to climate-driven weather extremes and the growing challenge of balancing industrial growth with basic utility reliability.
Haryana saw a sharp spike in electricity consumption on Saturday as prolonged monsoon deficit and sweltering heat drove up demand across the State. Long, unscheduled outages have been reported over the past few days in several districts. Angry villagers staged protests and road blocks in Bhiwani, Hisar, Panipat, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri.
The two distribution companies recorded a 32.18% year-on-year jump in consumption. Total usage across Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) rose to 3,135.42 lakh units on July 18, up from 2,372.05 lakh units on the same day last year – an increase of 763.37 lakh units.
In the DHBVN area covering Gurugram, Faridabad and Palwal, consumption hit 1,763.70 lakh units, the highest for the month so far. That is a 1.82% rise from July 17 (1,732.16 lakh units) and 37.56% higher than July 18, 2025 (1,282.10 lakh units).
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