India: Delhi, India’s capital, is experiencing a prolonged heatwave, pushing power demand to a record high of 8,647 megawatts (MW) this week.
For weeks, the city and neighbouring northern Indian regions have seen temperatures between 44 and 45 degrees Celsius.
Delhi experiences regular power interruptions as a result of the heavy demand on resources caused by the widespread usage of cooling appliances like air conditioners. The capital set a record on Tuesday, one day after power usage in northern India peaked at 89,000 MW.
This season, Delhi’s electrical demand has shattered numerous records. On May 22, it reached 8,000 MW. A power outage that affected terminal operations at the city’s airport on Monday lasted for several minutes.
Social media users posted pictures of lines of people waiting in line to check in at check-in counters while airline employees waited for their computers to restart. In addition, the city is facing a serious water shortage. Social media videos depict people en masse around water trucks with buckets.
The heatwave over northern India is expected to last for the next few days, according to the weather agency.
Since the start of summer in March, dozens of people have passed away from heat-related ailments.
In the first week of June, the heat in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the northeastern state of Odisha (formerly Orissa) claimed the lives of over fifty people in three days. India typically has hot, muggy summers, but this year has been particularly brutal, with longer, more intense heatwaves occurring more frequently.
According to the weather service on Tuesday, June precipitation throughout the nation is also anticipated to be below average.
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