One can see that Tiwari, who oversees electricity distribution for Baneshwor, Chabahil and Gokarna, feels exasperated that the situation has reached this level. The local men who were trying to fix the transformer didn't come in harm's way as they immediately descended after seeing Tiwari and his team. But the incident seems to have made him realize how at the moment even their department's best effort isn't enough.
"We have a 100 plus staff over the three areas and they are all pulling extra hours. From the field technicians, engineers to the administration staff, everyone is working overtime. We have been working with every intention to address the transformer problems as fast as possible but we haven't been able to keep up with the complaints because the fact is too many of them have been blowing up around town," says Tiwari.
The distribution centers from around Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur have all noticed a huge spike in electricity demand since the gas shortage. Whether people were cooking three meals a day in their rice cookers or purchasing electric stove, electricity quickly became the most convenient alternative for our country's energy. Soon enough, the transformers that had for instance a 200 KVA capacity was dealing with double its load. So while last year there were reports of only one or two transformers exploding this time of the year, recently there have been an estimated five to ten explosions every single week.
And it obviously has not gone unnoticed. Deliberations over burning transformers have become the talk of the town. It even stole many headlines. The discussion may have gripped the capital's attention, but Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief at Ratnapark Distribution Center for one doesn't see the point of it all.
"In my opinion, this matter is getting unnecessary attention. How did people not see this coming? This is an artificial increment of demands because of the blockades. We could continue gas and petrol supplies because of the black market but that's not a possibility with electricity. Especially not since the supplies weren't enough to begin with. I think the government failed to explain the situation we are in. I feel that could have minimized the public hysteria over the transformers," explains Singh.
Promises such as 'zero load shedding in the next year' certainly don't help people like Singh who have to hold the front line at the distribution center's office. The phones at the no-light offices have been ringing off the hook. Upset consumers have been flooding the offices. There have been pleas, accusations, even threats of group demonstrations. Though Singh reveals, of late the crowds and the complaints have decreased as they have been working through the trouble spots and also as he suspects people are starting to realize this is not the distribution center's inefficiency but rather the nation's.
Tiwari also agrees that the country's stalled development priorities have aggravated the situation. "Nobody could have expected this blockade and the challenges that it has bought upon distribution centers. However, could we be better equipped to deal with the situation? I believe so because for instance, in the past three fiscal years we have largely been unable to upgrade the transformers in my area. Further our trend analysis has showed that every year there will be 10% increment on the supply load but little to almost no steps have been taken to deal with the demand," he explains.
Concerns and questions about the efficiency of our capital and various cities' electricity supplies and distribution should have clearly been raised prior to this hour of emergency. There have been controversies about not only the quality of transformers but also the practice of ill-advisedly stretching their capacity, to cover more areas. There are also concerns of distribution centers not having adequate number of field technicians.
Sources reveal that the Ratnapark branch that takes the responsibility of covering all the places from Thapathali, Kalimati, Setopul and everything in between only has four to five on- field technicians. Further, it seems before the blockade even when the centers were trying to set up extra transformers, they didn't get the public's support. Due to lack of awareness about such utilities, many people were actually grumbling about transformers blocking the view of their house. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Now with alarm bells ringing, the Nation Electricity Authority (NEA) and the various distribution centers have kicked into full gear. They are thankful for the increased load shedding hours as that shall ensure that the transformers won't be over burdened. The public will have to deal with the power shortage problems but where the transformers are concerned, they are at a relatively better place right now. Also despite being woefully short-staffed, the authorities are repairing, rewiring and even installing extra transformers where required.
Amar Shrestha* a field technician assures that they all feel the responsibility to help. "These days we begin our shift before ten and try to reach many problem areas as possible. But then again we are a team of three people, there is only so many places we can cover. I wonder if people understand that. Everywhere we go there are complaints. Sometimes even five minutes after fixing a transformer, the fuse blows up or the MCCB trips again. But that is not our fault, the circumstances are such."
Shrestha too hasn't had light in his house for three days now. He hasn't been able to run the water up the tank, his son hasn't been able to finish his presentation project, and his wife is considering serving beaten rice for dinner. Still he says he won't be taking his complaints to his area's no-light offices. Having worked there, he knows it's not that the authority's response that is lacking; the scale of the problem is just too big.
priyankagurungg@gmail.com
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