Delhi faces long blackouts

NEW DELHI: Several parts of Delhi faced power cuts lasting all night and in some cases much of Tuesday, and even water supply was severely affected by the blackouts. Water supply was disrupted in many areas on Tuesday and this is likely to continue on Wednesday morning. One of the areas worst hit by the power crisis was south Delhi, where electric wires were snapped by uprooted trees in many places.Residents of South Extension, Chittaranjan Park, Hauz Khas, Panch Shila Park and RK Puram complained of long power cuts. South extension (Part I) F-block resident, Kanika Bhopal said, ‘‘We had no power since 2 am and it was restored only after 4 pm on Tuesday.’’ She said the power failure affected water supply as well. M L Bhatia, another resident of South Extension, also complained of a blackout lasting more than 12 hours. Karol Bagh resident Sukhbir Singh Lamba had a similar tale. ‘‘We had no power since 9 pm on Monday. It came back about 4 pm on Tuesday. Residents of Laxmi Nagar, Pitampura and Rohini also suffered power cuts lasting through the night. Delhi Vidyut Board officials said the peak demand on Tuesday was pegged at 2,143 mw (megawatts), the lowest this summer. ‘‘Trees and branches fell on electric wires at various places. But DVB employees worked all night and day to disentangle the trees and branches from electric poles and wires,’’ the DVB spokesperson said. Delhi Jal Board officials said water supply was likely to remain disrupted on Wednesday due to power failure in Chandrawal and Wazirabad water treatment plants. Supply to north, central and parts of south Delhi would be affected. It would also affect the Walled City and areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council. The city has been facing a severe water crisis for over a month and Monday night’s thundershower, despite problems, was a great relief.