Keep Calm And Stock Wood – Jammu Kashmir

The monster of winter has started spreading its vicious tentacles over Kashmir. Last week, we saw second major snowfall with four feet of snow accumulating in areas of south Kashmir and up to Jawahar Tunnel. This time around, the administration didn’t take much time to restore normalcy, particularly following the November 7 blackout during which even the emergency power supply lines for hospitals in the Valley were downed for days and many important towns and villages remained in darkness for over week’s time. While the Srinagar-Jammu highway remains a blot of the face of the administration which spreads with every passing day of traffic suspension, there is no dearth of essential commodities in Kashmir. The administration is apparently stocked up and enough cooking gas cylinders and tankers of fuel are stored for distribution in case of exigency. However, the bad news is that another western disturbance is approaching Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Srinagar station of Indian Meteorological Department, J&K will be hit by another spell of rain and snow on December 20 and 21, coinciding with the arrival of Chillai Qalaan, the harshest 40-day period of winter in Kashmir. Some media reports indicate that the severity of cold conditions in J&K this winter will break the records of past. Kashmir is going to witness incessant spells of often heavy snowfall in January and February. This will only increase the miseries for not just ordinary people of the Valley but the government as well. With any snowfall comes the breakdown of Kashmir’s power infrastructure. And even if the infrastructure somehow manages to stand on the crutches, there is dearth of supply. The demand in Kashmir crosses 1500 MW during winters, of which the infrastructure of the government is capable of supplying some 900 MW. However, the power deficit to Kashmir is not just 600 MW. In order to cut down spending on a sector that has been literally running in losses, the J&K government purchases less power, some 700 MWs. Take out the transmission and distribution losses (50%, on lower side), the figure comes down to 350 MWs. To cut a long story short, of the 24 hours in a day, consumers in Kashmir get six to eight hours of electricity, if evenly distributed. Subtract the uninterruptible supply for emergency lines and most metered areas, only peanuts are left for lesser mortals. The winter is getting uglier. In absence of power, literally and figuratively, what options do Kashmiris have? Not much, except buying a wood-powered heater and stocking wood to survive the coming bad times.