KOLLAM: Amid a heatwave warning and soaring temperatures — Kollam recording the second-highest levels in the state — residents across the district have reported frequent short-duration power outages over the past week.
Though the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has not announced any scheduled power cuts, outages lasting around 15 minutes have been occurring during the day and late at night, disrupting daily life and sleep.
In Chinnakada, residents said power supply has been cut almost regularly after 11 pm in recent days. On Saturday, electricity was restored only after about 20 minutes. Similar interruptions were reported on previous nights as well.
“On Friday, power went off after 9 pm and lasted nearly half an hour. We could not reach KSEB as the landline was constantly engaged,” said a resident of Kadapuzha.
A similar situation prevails in Sasthamcotta. “There are multiple short outages during the day and night, adding up to over half an hour. This particularly affects bakery owners, as items like ice cream get easily spoiled,” said local activist Dileep Kumar.
Power consumption has surged sharply due to the extreme heat. Official sources said daily usage has risen to 2.79 million units in the Kollam circle and 1.60 million units in the Kottarakkara circle.
Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty, however, clarified that the interruptions are not due to unannounced load shedding but are the result of temporary system overloads caused by unusually high demand.
Undeclared cuts?
Kollam records second-highest temperature in state
15–30 minute outages reported across multiple areas
Households and small businesses affected