With the temperature staying steady at well over 41 degrees Celsius across Haryana, electricity consumption has hit a seasonal high, pushing the power infrastructure to its limits. On Thursday, Gurugram Circle 2 under Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) recorded a staggering 322.75 lakh units of electricity consumption — the highest so far this season, reported The Hindu. This marks a sharp 14.05% jump compared to the same day last year, when usage stood at 283 lakh units.
The heatwave sweeping across the region has triggered a surge in power demand across multiple districts. The DHBVN’s Delhi zone — which includes Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Narnaul and Rewari — collectively consumed 1,024.73 lakh units on Thursday, breaching the 1,000-lakh mark for the first time this year. The figure represents a 4.58% rise from Wednesday’s 979.86 lakh units.
In parallel, the Hisar zone — covering Hisar, Jind, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Bhiwani — saw consumption rise to 503.34 lakh units, up by 1.29% from the previous day’s 496.94 lakh units.
Despite the mounting load, DHBVN officials claim that supply was largely maintained across key areas. According to DHBVN spokesperson Sanjay Chugh, Gurugram Circle 2 received power for an average of 23.83 hours, while Circle 1’s urban sectors saw 23.5 hours of supply. Industrial zones across both circles also reportedly enjoyed an average supply of 23.5 hours.
But on the ground, the situation tells a different story.
Amresh Mishra from Sector-83 in New Gurgaon complained of frequent power cuts "even after implementation of #33KV" and sought an explanation from DHBVNL. Another resident, identifying himself as Biswajit Rout, said Gurgaon experienced a 10-hour power cut daily.
What's worse is that the electricity supply department officials are allegedly non-responsive. "There has been no electricity for the past 2 hours in Gurgaon. The lineman and supervisor's numbers are switched off, and the JE is not responding. Your toll-free number is also not reachable. How is anyone supposed to contact you," complained another netizen.
This was not the sole complaint. Others joined in. Another X account, 'Citizen Of Gurgaon', posted: "No power in sector-38 Gurgaon since past 5-6 hours. @DHBVNL @1912dhbvn unresponsive over helpline. This is gross negligence. Family residents especially with elderly folk are suffering. Heavy load on local infra due to massive PGs [sic]."
Chugh acknowledged the challenges, attributing some of the outages to sudden faults in feeder lines or transformers caused by excessive load and extreme heat. He added that Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) are informed in advance about any scheduled maintenance-related cuts, reported The Hindu.
Gurugram Weather: Rain Relief Almost Here
Gurgaon continued to reel under oppressive heat on Friday, with the mercury soaring to a scorching 42.9°C—three degrees above the seasonal average. The sweltering daytime heat gave little respite even after sundown, as the minimum temperature stayed uncomfortably high at 30.7°C, marking a 4°C jump from normal and slightly warmer than the previous night.
While the city narrowly avoided being placed under an official heatwave alert, other parts of Haryana weren't as lucky. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to persist across the state till June 14.
As per IMD criteria, a heatwave is declared in the plains when temperatures touch 45°C or when they exceed 40°C with a departure of at least 4.5°C from the normal range — conditions that many areas in the state are currently experiencing.
However, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. IMD officials have forecast light to moderate rainfall at isolated places in Haryana between June 15 and 16. This will likely be followed by thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds from June 15 to 18. These weather changes could bring a noticeable drop of 2°C to 4°C in the maximum temperatures.
For Gurgaon, the forecast suggests a slightly cooler spell from June 15 to 19. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover between 36°C and 40°C, while the nights could remain warm, with minimum temperatures ranging from 27°C to 30°C.