Long powercuts make city sweat
With intense heat conditions persisting in the city, the power demand shot up to 4,823 MW, the highest ever, on Wednesday. The private power distribution companies (discoms) had to resort to load shedding which resulted in long hours of powercuts in various areas. The powercuts led to water crisis in several localities.
The maximum power demand on Wednesday was recorded at 4.10 pm. The previous peak demand was recorded on July 1 last year at 4,720 MW. The power demand has increased by 23 per cent from 3,863 MW to 4,823 MW between May 1 and 18, mainly due to unabated heat wave conditions in the city.
“We have been directed to carry out load shedding due to shortage of power,” said a spokesperson of a discom.
The residents of west and east Delhi areas, the worst hit, had to go without electricity for spans ranging from one to six hours.
Meanwhile, Delhi power minister Harun Yusuf attributed the shortfall in power to technical snags in NTPC’s Dadri and Jhajjar plants. He said that the power supply from Dadri plant would be restored by Wednesday late night. The government is expecting to get its share of power from the Jhajhar plant in a week’s time.
The power cuts in the city were also triggered by low frequency in the Northern Grid which dipped to the level of 49.17 in the afternoon following which Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre had put restrictions on withdrawal of power, added a discom spokesperson.
Meanwhile, severe heat conditions continued to prevail in the capital on Wednesday, though few areas reported sparse, scanty rains.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 42.3 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal, after shooting up to the season’s highest of 44.1º Celsius on Tuesday.
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