Power restored in Jammu within 48 hours of Aug 26 calamity: PDD

In the aftermath of the flashfloods and heavy rainfall on August 25 and 26 that severely damaged power infrastructure in the Jammu region, the Power Development Department (PDD) successfully restored electricity in most affected areas within 48 hours, despite facing formidable challenges.

The torrential rains, overflowing Tawi river, local nullahs, and landslides led to extensive damage to the region’s transmission and distribution systems. Several transmission towers collapsed, substations were inundated, and feeder lines went down—plunging large parts of the Jammu region into darkness.

According to officials, the electricity demand in the region dropped drastically to just 299 MW on August 26, compared to the normal demand of around 1,050 MW. “Despite extremely adverse conditions, PDD teams began restoration work immediately, isolating faulty network elements and sourcing power through alternate arrangements,” an official said.

The department managed to restore 70% of the normal load (725 MW) by 7 pm on August 27, and 92% (960 MW) by the evening of August 28. Full restoration was achieved in the following days.

The restoration efforts were carried out in close coordination with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), police, and other agencies. All three J&K power corporations—JKPDC, JKPTCL, and JPDCL—worked together to expedite the process.

Much of the damage occurred in areas with difficult terrain, including hilly slopes and river crossings, complicating repair operations. On the first day of rainfall, several towers along the 132 kV line at the Tawi crossing collapsed in a cascading fashion. Key transmission lines—such as the one supplying Kishtwar district and the 132 kV Hiranagar–Battal– Manwal line—also suffered extensive damage, affecting electric traction systems and disrupting power to multiple districts including Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, and Jammu.

To overcome these challenges, MD JKPTCL Rahilla Wani and her team deployed emergency measures and innovative technologies. A collapsed tower on the Hiranagar–Battal–Manwal line was replaced using the Emergency Restoration System (ERS), a modular, quick-deploy tower structure provided with the support of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). High-strength cranes and specialised equipment were used to restring conductors on the damaged 220 kV Barn–Kishanpur transmission line near Nagrota.

The distribution sector also bore the brunt of the disaster. As of the evening of August 26, only 364 of 1,349 feeders were operational. Nearly 19,000 of the region’s 49,000 distribution transformers were affected, and hundreds of electric poles and conductors were damaged—making it one of the worst outages the region has ever faced.

Despite the unprecedented scale of destruction, swift and coordinated action by the PDD and supporting agencies ensured that electricity was restored to most parts of the region within 48 hours, bringing relief to thousands of affected residents.