Residents across Kerala are facing severe disruptions to their everyday lives as the state grapples with extended evening power cuts that now stretch from the early afternoon until past midnight. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), which manages power distribution across the state, has been forced to implement rolling load shedding due to an acute supply-demand gap that has worsened over recent weeks.
The current power-cut schedule, which runs from approximately 6:30 PM to 1 AM, marks a significant escalation from earlier outages that typically ended by evening. In many districts, residents are reporting back-to-back power failures with brief intervals of electricity between extended darkness periods lasting several hours at a time.
The problem has been most acutely felt in urban areas including Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Thrissur, where densely populated neighborhoods report complete blackouts affecting thousands of homes, small businesses, and community facilities. Rural areas have not been spared, with agricultural pumping operations and evening livelihood activities severely impacted.
Experts point to a combination of factors behind the crisis. Karnataka, which supplies a significant portion of Kerala's power through inter-state agreements, has itself been dealing with shortages due to lower-than-normal rainfall filling reservoirs. Additionally, surging demand during what is traditionally a hot period has pushed the grid beyond its capacity. Several thermal power units within the state have also faced maintenance-related downtime, further reducing available generation.
Electricity Minister V.N. Vasavan acknowledged the severity of the situation during a press interaction, stating that emergency measures are being considered, including the possible import of additional power from neighboring states through the southern regional grid. He also urged citizens to conserve electricity during peak hours and assured that KSEB is working around the clock to minimize the duration and frequency of outages.
The impact on ordinary life has been profound. Families report difficulty in cooking meals, children struggling to study after sunset, and medical equipment-dependent patients living in constant anxiety. Small shop owners, restaurants, and street vendors have reported sharp declines in business, while IT workers and others relying on remote work face repeated disconnections.
Power cuts during evening hours — traditionally a family and social period — have drawn particular criticism, with residents questioning why supply management has not prevented such extended disruptions. Consumer groups have called for transparency in KSEB's scheduling and faster resolution of the underlying supply shortage.
