Living without electricity is something hundreds of millions in India do everyday, and not just when the country’s shaky power grid collapses.

 

The world’s second most populous country garnered international attention this week when it experienced the world’s largest blackout.

 

More than half of India’s population of 1.2 billion was affected by the collapse of three interconnected grids that provide power to the northern and eastern states. The trouble lasted two days and blacked out not only homes but also hospitals, and brought industries ranging from transportation to mining to a halt.

 

But for 300 million Indians, being without electricity is a routine part of life. That’s because the growing economic power has not figured out how to get this other 25% of the population on the grid.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

To Learn More:

Power Restored after Huge Indian Power Cut (BBC)

2nd Day of Power Failures Cripples Wide Swath of India (by Jim Yardley and Gardiner Harris, New York Times)

Second Day of India's Electricity Outage Hits 620 Million (by Hriday Sarma and Ruby Russell, USA Today)