Haryana Sees 32% Jump in Power Demand as Heat and Dry Spell Persist; Villagers Protest Outages
Haryana experienced a sharp rise in electricity consumption on Saturday, driven by prolonged monsoon deficit and sweltering heat across the state. Unscheduled power outages have been reported in several districts over the past few days, prompting villagers to stage protests and road blocks in Bhiwani, Hisar, Panipat, Fatehabad and Charkhi Dadri.
The two power distribution companies recorded a 32.18% year-on-year increase in consumption. Total usage across Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) rose to 3,135.42 lakh units on July 18, up from 2,372.05 lakh units on the same day last year – an increase of 763.37 lakh units.
In the DHBVN area covering Gurugram, Faridabad and Palwal, consumption hit 1,763.70 lakh units, the highest for the month so far. That is a 1.82% rise from July 17 (1,732.16 lakh units) and 37.56% higher than July 18, 2025 (1,282.10 lakh units).
Mahendragarh district recorded the steepest increase in DHBVN at 72.34% compared to last year. DHBVN’s Delhi Zone logged 1,065.53 lakh units and Hisar Zone 698.17 lakh units.
UHBVN, which serves North Haryana, reported 1,371.72 lakh units on Saturday – up 4.78% from the previous day and 25.65% from last year (1,089.95 lakh units). Kaithal saw the biggest jump in UHBVN at 33.97% compared to last year. Consumption in UHBVN’s Rohtak Zone stood at 793.66 lakh units and Panchkula Zone at 578.06 lakh units.
Power Minister Anil Vij attributed the rising demand to intense summer, higher agricultural load and industrial activity. Despite the challenges, he said the government has ensured uninterrupted supply through advance planning, power procurement, strengthening of the transmission network and modern load management.
DHBVN and UHBVN Managing Director Vikram Singh said field officers have been instructed to monitor substations and feeders round the clock. “Additional transformers, equipment and manpower have been made available to ensure consumers do not face inconvenience,” he added.
