Delhi feels the heat at 45°C
31 May 2012 1:32 AM GMT
Contrary to the meteorological department's forecast last week that the worst is over in the national capital, Wednesday turned out to be the hottest day this season. This also lead to an unprecedented demand for power, which touched a record high.
A maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius kept the people indoors. The unbearable heat crippled the day-to-day life of Delhiites, who were forced to deal with weather-related diseases, such as dysentery, diarrhoea and fever, as well as power outages ranging from one to four hours in several areas of the city.
A meteorological official said, 'Wednesday's maximum was five degree Celsius above normal and up from Tuesday's 43.5 degrees, while the minimum was at 28.2 degrees Celsius, up from 26.8 degrees and one degree above normal. Mercury touching 45 degrees is unusual for the month of May in Delhi.'
Delhi has also broken all previous records when it came to power peak demand, which touched a record high of 5,155 MW. The Delhi government, however, claimed that the power demand was successfully met without any load shedding or diversion of power.
A statement issued by government said, 'All the distribution companies were geared up to meet the current peak demand of 5,155 MW, which is highest peak ever in the history of Delhi. Sufficient arrangements have been made to meet the further increase in demand.' Only five days ago, the capital had set a new record in power consumption by touching 5,032 MW when the city recorded a maximum of 44 degrees Celsius. During the last summer, the peak demand was 5,028 MW (August 2011).
At the Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reiterated the commitment of her government to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the city. She added that the distcoms have been specifically told to put in their best efforts to act swiftly on receipt of any complaint during summer. The chief minister appreciated the alertness of the field staff in averting any disruption in power supply despite the highest peak power demand.
Meanwhile, the officials of the meteorological department said that the humidity during the day was between 16 and 32 per cent. According to it, there is not likely to be immediate relief from the heat in the region, and on Thursday, the day temperature may remain around 45 degrees Celsius.
A maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius kept the people indoors. The unbearable heat crippled the day-to-day life of Delhiites, who were forced to deal with weather-related diseases, such as dysentery, diarrhoea and fever, as well as power outages ranging from one to four hours in several areas of the city.
A meteorological official said, 'Wednesday's maximum was five degree Celsius above normal and up from Tuesday's 43.5 degrees, while the minimum was at 28.2 degrees Celsius, up from 26.8 degrees and one degree above normal. Mercury touching 45 degrees is unusual for the month of May in Delhi.'
Delhi has also broken all previous records when it came to power peak demand, which touched a record high of 5,155 MW. The Delhi government, however, claimed that the power demand was successfully met without any load shedding or diversion of power.
A statement issued by government said, 'All the distribution companies were geared up to meet the current peak demand of 5,155 MW, which is highest peak ever in the history of Delhi. Sufficient arrangements have been made to meet the further increase in demand.' Only five days ago, the capital had set a new record in power consumption by touching 5,032 MW when the city recorded a maximum of 44 degrees Celsius. During the last summer, the peak demand was 5,028 MW (August 2011).
At the Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reiterated the commitment of her government to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the city. She added that the distcoms have been specifically told to put in their best efforts to act swiftly on receipt of any complaint during summer. The chief minister appreciated the alertness of the field staff in averting any disruption in power supply despite the highest peak power demand.
Meanwhile, the officials of the meteorological department said that the humidity during the day was between 16 and 32 per cent. According to it, there is not likely to be immediate relief from the heat in the region, and on Thursday, the day temperature may remain around 45 degrees Celsius.
Next Story
