India battles power outages

Residents in India’s northern Rajasthan state are facing power cuts of up to seven hours a day. Several other states have reported similar outages as the nation battles a severe heat wave. The power outages are also affecting industrial activity, which had started to rebound after months of pandemic lockdowns.

What is causing the blackouts? India recorded its hottest March since 1901. The Indian Meteorological Department said the average temperatures in northern and central parts of the country in April were the highest in 122 years. The high temperatures have spiked electricity demand, rising by as much as 40 percent in some states. The coal-reliant power sector is also battling low supplies. The railway ministry canceled more than 750 passenger train services Friday to allow more freight trains to move coal from mines to the power plants.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archive, read my report in The Sift on India’s 2020 heat wave.