2. January 2nd, 2001 India Blackout – 230 Million People Affected
On January 2nd, 2001 a failure of the Uttar Pradesh substation caused a collapse of the entire northern grid. Nearly a quarter of the population was affected by the blackout which lasted 12 hours. 6 states and the capital were affected and put at a standstill as nearly all services ceased until power came back on.
The loss of power created chaos across the country. Hospitals had to postpone major surgeries and nearly stop operations as there were no generators to keep the lights on. Residents not only lost power but water as well when there was no way to get water from their electric pumps and the treatment stations also were stopped without power.
80 trains were stalled on the tracks for 15 hours because the electric trains blocked the lines and were unable to allow other traffic to pass. Diesel engines had to be brought in to pull the electric trains off the tracks so regular rail traffic could continue. Traffic came to a standstill as traffic lights went out turning roadways into parking lots.
Loss to businesses was estimated at $107 million which caused plenty of angry responses from the people. Residents complained that their tariffs rise every year but the reliability of the power does not improve. Indeed, many of the blackouts are ruled to be caused by transmission problems due to a power system that is largely neglected by the Indian government. With so many issues with the government-provided power, many states and even businesses are looking into privatized methods of getting power, including foreign investment. However, a large portion of India still does not have access to power and privatizing the power system would lead to profits driving the provision of power and not social need.