Colva: Even as the post-monsoon season sets in with hot and humid weather, several coastal villages in Salcete have been grappling with prolonged and repeated power outages for the past month and a half.Residents say unscheduled interruptions — typically lasting 10 to 20 minutes — have disrupted daily life from morning through evening, affecting households, businesses, and other consumers. The problem reportedly begins as early as 6.30am, when the first outage is often experienced.Electricity department personnel have attributed some disruptions to the changeover of power supply from the grid. Additional interruptions during the day have also been linked to switching between the Carmona and Benaulim substations. Alongside these outages, residents have complained of frequent fluctuations in supply, leaving consumers uncertain about the stability of electricity.Carmona junior engineer Satyam Raikar said power supply is sometimes shut down to carry out essential maintenance and repair work. This includes trimming tree branches touching power lines, repairing jumpers, and maintaining transformers. However, the repeated interruptions and fluctuations have heightened concerns among residents about possible damage to household electrical appliances.Another electricity department engineer said some disruptions were connected to a technical problem at the Velim substation. The substation reportedly developed charging-related faults, prompting technical staff to carry out emergency shutdowns to carry out repairs and restore stability to the network.The Velim substation is a key source of power for the Carmona substation, which supplies electricity to the coastal belt covering Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim, and parts of Varca.Meanwhile, sources in the electricity department said a shortage in power generation — attributed to low generation schedules from thermal and wind generators — has contributed to the situation across the country.
