North India grapples with searing heat, slight relief likely on Thursday

PTI

New Delhi, June 19

Swathes of northern and eastern India grappled with punishing heat wave conditions on Wednesday, and a western disturbance may provide much-needed relief, though only marginally, over the next few days, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Also, conditions are now favourable for further advancement of the monsoon which had made no significant progress between June 12 and 18, extending the wait for rains in north India which is reeling from the sweltering heat.

Maximum temperatures ranged from 43 to 45 degrees Celsius in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan.

In the national capital, hospitals reported a spike in heatstroke cases and several deaths in the last two days. Delhi recorded its warmest night in at least 14 years, with the minimum temperature settling at 35.2 degrees Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed in parts of Uttar Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and pockets of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Jammu division.

A fresh western disturbance is expected to bring some relief in the northern region from the high temperatures. Delhi can expect light rain on June 20.

Several places in Uttarakhand, including Dehradun, received light showers on Wednesday after a prolonged dry spell. In Himachal Pradesh, thunderstorms and rains in Shimla and surrounding areas brought some respite.

The maximum temperature in Dehradun, which had shot up to around 40 degrees Celsius by Wednesday afternoon, plummeted sharply with the rains which were preceded by gusty winds.

Delhi, which is facing a severe water crisis, recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius, over four notches above the normal. The minimum temperature in the city was 35.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in June since 1969.

In Haryana, Nuh recorded a high of 45.3 degrees Celsius, Faridabad 45 degrees Celsius, while Gurugram recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh also sweltered under a maximum of 43.1 degrees Celsius. Sangrur in Punjab recorded 44.8 degrees Celsius, while Pathankot saw a high of 44.3 degrees Celsius.

The blistering heat has left a large number of people scrambling for water, with storage levels in reservoirs and rivers hitting record lows. The shortage of water for irrigation is impacting agriculture in some areas.

The power grids are under immense pressure and there has been an increase in incidents of short circuits and fires.

The Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) on Wednesday said multiple-tripping incidents were reported in the northern region on Monday after power demand shot up to 89.4 gigawatt (GW), leading to a supply gap of 16.5 GW.

Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and J&K were the affected states, it said.

Massive consumption of electricity amid a punishing heat wave stretching over weeks pushed the peak power demand of Delhi to an all-time high level of 8,656 MW on Wednesday afternoon, according to discom officials.

Cooling load due to the increased use of air-conditioners and other cooling appliances amid the relentless heat wave has led to a record rise in power demand, they said.

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