48-hour blackout after rains throws life out of gear in Hubballi

Hubballi,

The first drops of rain that lashed Hubballi-Dharwad on Sunday afternoon were welcomed like a blessing. After weeks of unbearable heat, sleepless nights and rising temperatures, residents across the twin cities looked skyward in relief as thick clouds gathered and heavy showers swept through the region. For nearly three hours, relentless rain accompanied by powerful winds cooled the scorching streets and brought long-awaited respite from the oppressive summer heatwave.

Families stepped outside to enjoy the sudden drop in temperature, children played in the rain and many believed the worst of summer had finally passed. But within hours, relief turned into frustration, anger and helplessness. The heavy rain and gusty winds brutally exposed the fragile state of the twin cities’ infrastructure, leaving thousands of residents without electricity for more than 48 hours and pushing everyday life into chaos.

Several major residential localities including Anand Nagar, Vidyanagar, Gokul Road, Lohia Nagar, Manjunath Nagar, Mayur Nagar, Surabhi Colony, RN Shetty Road, ART Nagar and Morarji Nagar were plunged into darkness after power infrastructure suffered extensive damage. Sunday and Monday night, large stretches of the twin cities resembled blackout zones, with entire neighbourhoods depending on candles, mobile flashlights and rapidly draining inverter batteries.

For residents, the crisis was not merely about inconvenience it disrupted the very basics of daily life. Water tanks remained empty as electric pumps stopped functioning. Families struggled without drinking water. Elderly residents and children were forced to endure humid nights without fans or cooling systems. Mobile phones and laptops ran out of charge, cutting off communication and work. Many residents reportedly travelled to relatives’ homes in unaffected areas simply to bathe, charge devices or find temporary relief.

In some colleges, classes were not held on Monday and Tuesday due to the power outage. Sohan, a class 11 student studying at a private college located near Shirur Park said classes were not conducted at the college due to the power outage. "Our classes equipped with smart boards and inverter batteries dried up due to the prolonged outage." Vijay Meti, a shop owner in Anand Nagar, said he suffered losses due to the prolonged power outage.

He said over 100 liters of milk expired due to the lack of a cooling system. What intensified public anger was the near-collapse of the complaint redressal system. Residents trying to contact the HESCOM helpline were met with endlessly busy lines, prolonged waiting times and little clarity on restoration timelines. Even those who managed to connect were reportedly given routine assurances that teams were “working on it.”

For many citizens, the prolonged outage exposed not just damaged poles and snapped lines, but deeper administrative inefficiency and the absence of disaster preparedness. According to a HESCOM employee, more than 30 areas remained without electricity after the Sunday showers. Field staff reportedly worked continuously through the night, with repair teams operating until early morning hours in difficult weather conditions.

HESCOM Executive Engineer Nagaraj Kubballi acknowledged the scale of destruction, stating that several parts of Anand Nagar and surrounding areas suffered severe infrastructure damage due to uprooted trees and fallen electric poles. He said restoration efforts on Monday were interrupted again after another spell of intense rain and gusty winds caused fresh damage to already weakened infrastructure. “Vidyanagar to Tolankere, Hosur to Airport Road and Karwar Road areas ere severely affected.