Consumption of power rises by 15 pc in past six months in Mancherial

Power consumption in Mancherial district has risen amid increased demand for irrigation and declining groundwater levels. Officials cite higher use of agricultural motors, while farmers staging protests at substations allege inadequate power supply and rising generator costs

Mancherial: Power consumption in Mancherial district has risen by an average of nearly 15 per cent over the past six months, with increased demand for irrigation amid groundwater depletion attributed to the El Niño effect.

According to data provided by Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (NPDCL) officials, the district consumed 89.958 million units (MUs) of electricity in September, compared with 73.08 MUs in the same month last year, marking an increase of nearly 23 per cent.

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Significantly, electricity consumption during the first 11 days of this month reached 39.97 MUs, against 26.71 MUs during the corresponding period in 2025 — an increase of nearly 50 per cent.

Officials attributed the surge to farmers drawing more groundwater to irrigate standing paddy crops as groundwater levels decline. They said farmers were using higher-horsepower motors to extract water, further driving up electricity demand.

Officials expect consumption to rise considerably in the coming days but said it could decline by January, after the crops are harvested.

They added that transformer capacities were being upgraded to meet the increased demand and prevent inconvenience to farmers. However, electricity supply could be interrupted briefly during power-line repairs or due to technical glitches. Officials said efforts were under way to ensure an uninterrupted supply to paddy and other crop growers.

Meanwhile, farmers continued to stage sit-ins at power substations across the district, demanding a reliable and quality power supply for agricultural operations. They alleged that farms were receiving only 12 hours of electricity a day, forcing them to hire generators at high cost. The farmers expressed concern that the additional expenditure would leave them with little or no profit.