Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 23 June 2024
Katchal Island has been plunged into a complete power blackout since the early morning of 22 June 2024, following the failure of its last functioning diesel generator. Despite relentless efforts to restore power, the island remains without electricity, causing significant disruptions to daily life.
The blackout has also led to a mobile network outage, cutting off communication with the island. Mr. Lawrence, a resident of Katchal, last managed to speak to Nicobar Times on the evening of 22 June 2024 from a location with weak BSNL mobile service reception from nearby Kamorta Island. Since then, all attempts to contact Katchal residents have been unsuccessful.
During the last communication, it was reported that the Primary Health Centre on the island was without power. Additionally, Mr. Lawrence mentioned that the water supply had been completely disrupted due to the power shutdown, compounding the residents’ difficulties.
Power is an essential necessity, integral to virtually every aspect of modern life. The fact that an island can remain in complete blackout for over 24 hours in 2024 is staggering.
Katchal’s power house houses four diesel generators. Prior to the current crisis, three of these were already out of order, with no available spare parts for repairs. The fourth generator, which had been bearing the entire island’s load, failed early on 22 June 2024, resulting in the total blackout.
In response to the blackout, a technician was dispatched to Katchal to repair the generator. Unfortunately, the technician was unable to fix the issue. A more experienced technician from Port Blair is required to resolve the problem, but no helicopter service is available on Sundays.
As a result, it is anticipated that the power blackout on Katchal will persist for at least another day, leaving residents in a challenging and precarious situation.