Thiruvananthapuram:
The timely arrival of rain in Kerala has brought smile on the faces of many people who were facing long power cuts.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has announced an end to the load-shedding in the state which began in September owing to acute shortage in the water levels of various reservoirs, especially the Idukki reservoir. The rain has boosted the reservoirs' capacities.
The state had been witnessing one and a half hours of load shedding daily. After the good and timely monsoon, the one hour load shedding in the mornings was withdrawn on June 12. The remaining half an hour of load shedding in the evening will be withdrawn from Sunday.
From April 2012 to February 2013, Kerala had energy shortage of 4.1 per cent and peaking shortage of 8.8 per cent, the lowest among the southern states.
Kerala has been essentially dependent on hydel power generation. With many of its hydel projects still awaiting clearance from central forest department, the state's Power Minister Aryadan Mohammad said they will now focus on alternate sources of power generation. The state is expected to aim at getting 25 lakh consumers switch to solar power sources.