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Heatwave sweeps Chandigarh, power cuts add to woes
Amid subdued monsoon, mercury breaches 40°C mark and goes five notches above normal, similar weather likely on Thursday
Amid a subdued monsoon, heatwave swept Chandigarh on Wednesday, for the first time this summer.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 40.6°C, up from Tuesday’s 39.8°C and five notches above normal.
According to the Indian meteorological department (IMD), in the plains, heatwave is declared if maximum temperature is more than 40°C and at least 4.5°C above normal, or if it crosses 45°C.
Similar conditions are likely to continue in the city on Thursday, though some respite is expected thereon, with a forecast for light to moderate rain up to 30 mm on Friday and Saturday.
“Due to hot northwesterly winds, the temperature has increased beyond normal. It is expected to remain like this on Thursday as well. Easterly winds that are needed for the monsoon system to become stronger are unlikely to start yet,” said IMD scientist Shivinder Singh.
Even as the monsoon arrived in Chandigarh early on June 13 this year, there have been only two spells of rains since then. While 15.4 mm was recorded on June 16, localised conditions created by high temperatures had led to 4mm rain accompanied by high-speed winds on June 26.
According to the IMD, the monsoon is on a “break spell” and is not likely to cover the region in the next six to seven days. Meanwhile, maximum temperature is expected to remain around 37-40°C while minimum will be around 29°C in the next three days in Chandigarh.
Power demand peaks in city
With the mercury soaring, Wednesday also recorded the highest peak power demand in Chandigarh this year.
It led to power outages in southern parts of the city, as the supply remained erratic. Even residents in the neighbouring Mohali district had to bear with long power cuts during the day.
The peak power demand in Chandigarh on Wednesday was 383 MW, equal to the peak demand registered last year.
In 2019, the city had broken all previous records of power consumption with peak demand touching 431 MW. On June 30 that year, it had stood at 415 MW.
“Last year, the demand didn’t go very high even during the summer because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions. However, with subdued monsoon and consistently high temperatures, we are expecting the power demand to increase further, though it may not break the 2019 record,” said an electricity department official.
Sectors 40 and 47 were majorly affected as the electricity department undertook repair works and replaced major transmission line equipment, said the official. Even Sector 49 reported erratic power supply throughout the night.
“In some areas, there were temporary outages because of the high power demand, but the supply was restored after short intervals,” said the official.
In Mohali, an emergency unscheduled cut at the Patiala grid led to disruption in power supply at 2pm. Though deputy chief engineer Mohit Sood said power was restored by 5:15pm, some areas remained without electricity till 7pm.
A PSPCL official said that against an average demand for 420 MW per day, Mohali has 560 MW power available. “Sometimes, faults develop due to overload, which snap the grids causing major power failures. Otherwise, we have surplus power and there are no scheduled cuts in Mohali,” said the official.
