JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 02: The Power Development Department (PDD) has issued a handout providing an overview of the power restoration works undertaken following the incessant rainfall and flash floods that caused severe damage to power infrastructure in the Jammu region on August 25 and 26. What made the restoration Efforts truly exceptional was the strong teamwork and synergy between the Department and various state and central agencies such as NHPC, PGCIL, NHAI, and Police.
The PDD closely coordinated with these agencies, which provided timely assistance and logistical support wherever needed to ensure the swift and uninterrupted execution of restoration work across all affected districts.
As a result, the Department successfully restored electricity supply across Jammu region within a record time, despite the scale of destruction being so widespread that no district was spared from the damage. The torrential rains, coupled with overflowing River Tawi, local nallahs, and landslides, caused unprecedented damage particularly to the transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Several transmission towers collapsed, foundations were submerged, and receiving stations were inundated with water. According to reports, with most feeders down, the power load in the region plummeted to just 299 MW on August 26, compared to the normal demand of around 1,050 MW.
Despite the daunting challenges posed by inclement weather, the restoration teams of PDD swung into action immediately, working round-the-clock under extremely adverse conditions. By isolating faulty network elements and sourcing power through alternate arrangements wherever possible, the department managed to restore the load to725 (70% of normal load) MW by 7 PM on August 27and further to960 MW (92% of normal load) by the evening of August 28. The restoration drive was carried out through close coordination among all J&K power corporations—JKPDC, JKPTCL, and JPDCL under the supervision of Principal Secretary, PDD, Sh. H. Rajesh Prasad.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo closely monitored the progress of the restoration works and remained consistently updated on the situation. Their intervention played a crucial role in arranging necessary resources from various agencies including central PSUs which significantly contributed to quick and effective restoration of the system.
The transmission lines damaged by the torrential rains traverse extremely challenging terrain, including hilly slopes, river crossings, and remote areas with poor road connectivity. On the first day of rainfall, many transmission tower structures along the 132 kV line at the River Tawi crossing collapsed one after another in a cascading manner. Additionally, towers on key transmission lines—such as the one feeding power to Kishtwar district and the 132 kV Hiranagar–Battal–Manwal Transmission Line supplying power to Batal and adjoining areas, including electric traction systems also collapsed. Likewise, 220 kV Barn-Kishanpur transmission line also suffered extensive damage, affecting power supply to Districts of Rajouri, Poonch , Reasi and Jammu. The towers on these lines were situated on difficult-to-access hilly slopes, complicating restoration efforts and causing widespread blackouts and a panic-like situation for the department.
To overcome the formidable challenges, the MD JKPTCL Ms Rahilla Wani and her team deployed special measures and innovative solutions to restore power swiftly. For instance, the collapsed tower on the Hiranagar–Battal Manwal line was replaced using the Emergency Restoration System (ERS)—a modular-type special tower structure designed for quick deployment with the support of PGCIL. Unlike conventional towers, which can take months to erect, the ERS enables restoration within 24 hours. However, despite the tower collapse, power supply to most of the affected areas was restored immediately through alternative receiving stations by the JPDCL teams working in tandem, preventing a prolonged outage.
High-strength cranes and specialized equipment were used to string conductors on the towers of damaged 220 kV Barn-Kishanpur transmission line near Nagrota. The damaged tower on the Kishtwar line was also restored in record time despite its location in the tough hilly terrain of Doda district. In areas where roads had been damaged or washed away, materials had to be offloaded and carried head load over steep hills. Despite harsh weather conditions and limited connectivity, restoration teams demonstrated remarkable dedication working round the clock under the close supervision of senior officers to ensure timely completion of the work.
Executive Directors of PGCIL, Tarun Bajaj, and NHPC, Ram Swaroop, extended full technical and logistical support, playing a crucial role in accomplishing the mammoth task of power restoration under these extremely challenging circumstances.
The situation was even more alarming in the distribution sector, where out of 1,349 feeders, only 364 were functional by the evening of August 26. Nearly 19,000 distribution transformers, out of a total of 49,000 in the region, were affected, in addition to hundreds of damaged poles and conductors—making it one of the worst outages ever witnessed.
The immediate action taken by the Managing Director JPDCL Sh. G. P Singh and his team was to restore power supply to essential installations, including Defence Installations, Jal Shakti, AIIMS & GMC Jammu, and other major hospitals in the city. These critical installations were given top priority, and electricity was successfully restored to most of them on the very first day of the rainfall.
Restoration work continued day and night. Through continuous monitoring, swift deployment of manpower and machinery, and the use of short-term measures and innovative approach, full restoration was achieved well ahead of the anticipated timeline.
The heavy rainfall also impacted power generation severely. Amid heavy downpour; flooding of Power Houses, damage to access roads, and excessive silt load had forced shutdown of all hydroelectric projects of JKSPDC in Jammu Division. Amidst these challenges, the 900MW Baglihar Hydroelectric Project was restored to generation within 60 hours of shutdown. Operations were halted on 26th August due to dangerously high silt levels in the Chenab River. Through round-the-clock efforts involving road clearance, dewatering, cleaning of the powerhouse, testing of critical components, and continuous silt monitoring, MD JKSPDC Rahul Yadav and his team successfully brought the first unit online by 28thAugust evening, and all units were synchronized by 29th August to secure energy supply for the region.
Beside this close coordination was maintained with upstream and downstream projects, the Divisional and District Administration for regular discharge date to mitigate flood impacts and alert generation.
While temporary restoration has been completed by the department, permanent restoration of damaged infrastructure, including towers, poles, and substation equipment, would require considerable time, even several months. Accordingly, the department has already conducted a parallel assessment to determine the requirements and plan for permanent power restoration, which would be conducted in due course as and when the weather conditions normalize.
The extraordinary efforts of the PDD workforce, coupled with timely support from central agencies, turned what seemed an impossible task into a success story for Jammu region.
