- Power shortages are being reported around the country as coal supplies hit their lowest pre-summer levels in nine years, causing blackouts.
- Concerns are growing over how India can manage with soaring electricity demand amid record-breaking temperatures this summer.
- With India having had its warmest March in 122 years, power demand is anticipated to soar at its quickest rate in at least 38 years, driven by the rising demand to water crops and operate air conditioners in households.
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Advantages
DSR can solve labour shortage problem because as like the traditional method it does not require a paddy nursery and transplantation of 30 days old paddy nursery into the main puddled field.
With DSR, paddy seeds are sown directly with machine.
DSR offers avenues for ground water recharge as it prevents the development of hard crust just beneath the plough layer due to puddled transplanting.
It matures 7-10 days earlier than puddle transplanted crop, therefore giving more time for management of paddy straw.
Research trials indicated that yield, after DSR, are one to two quintals per acre higher than puddled transplanted rice.
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Limitations
Suitability of soil is the most important factor as farmers must not sow it in the light-textured soil.
This technique is suitable for medium to heavy textured soils including sandy loam, loam, clay loam, and silt loam which accounts for around 80% area of the state.
It should not be cultivated in sandy and loamy sand as these soils suffer from severe iron deficiency, and there is higher weed problem in it.
Also, avoid direct seeding of rice in fields which are under crops others than rice (like cotton, maize, sugarcane) in previous years as DSR in these soils is likely to suffer more from iron deficiency and weed problems. |
Issues:
- Consumer demand
- The nature of energy consumption is changing qualitatively, with growing daily and seasonal peaks.
- The use of air conditioners and other electrical equipment has grown as a result of higher incomes and more hot days.
- Lack of planning
- Discoms have failed to predict the demand for essential power supply, despite the fact that demand forecasting is inherently unreliable.
- And State regulatory commissions have failed to scrutinize them. The regulatory procedure must make this a priority.
- Subsidies
- Free energy to farmers has led to unsustainable use of power. The challenge is known as the energy-water-agriculture nexus, and has led to a crisis in all the three sectors involved.
- Over-reliance on coal
- 85 of the 173 thermal power plants that use domestic coal have less than 25% stock, while 11 of the units that use imported coal have reached critical levels.
Solutions:
- To bring immediate relief, there is an idle but costly generating capacity available.
- Around 15-20 GW of gas-based power plants that can run on imported liquefied natural gas and 6 GW-8 GW of thermal plants that can run on imported coal.
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