The rainy months in Kerala are usually marked by power outages that keep consumers guessing and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) workers on their toes. But in a year of the football World Cup, nothing is left to the vagaries of nature, as the finals coincide with the rainy months in the State, and die-hard fans can often be unforgiving when it comes to irregular power supply.

And, KSEB has not been found wanting this season, say fans like Shammi Chakrabarty and Davis Chirayath of Thrikkakara, pointing out that there have been no power supply disruptions so far during football matches. The view is echoed by soccer fans in other parts of Kochi and its neighbourhood, which account for nearly two lakh low-tension consumers. Leons, an Argentina fan from Edappally, however, says power supply was hit in the initial days of the championship, though the overall situation have improved.

Thanks largely to preparations ahead of the rainy season by KSEB, football fans appeared a happy lot. From shifting to underground cables for high-tension lines to replacing old and weak bridgings and fuses, KSEB has ensured that power supply is stable.

Power supply bottlenecks are identified and listed, and work to be carried out is charted out at sun rise meetings every morning in KSEB sections, said a worker. Detailed maintenance work, including that on transformers, were completed ahead of the rain, he added.

“We have not deployed any extra personnel,” said a senior KSEB engineer, describing the situation in the Ernakulam division where power supply improvement work is on under various schemes. But the official said the annual transfer of personnel had been held up because of seasonal requirements.

He also said there had been no shortage of power. According to KSEB data, the total power consumption in the State stood at 67.73 million units on Tuesday. Of this, 45.48 million units were borrowed from other States, while 22.24 million units were generated using facilities in the State.

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