Power demand in the Capital again surpassed all previous records on Friday with the peak demand reaching 5,810 MW. The spurt in power consumption was witnessed as the mercury continued to soar in Delhi hitting the 42°C mark on the same day, registering Friday as the hottest day the city has experienced in July, in two years. There seems to be no respite for Delhiites even in the coming days as the MeT Department has predicted light to moderate showers only July 14 onwards.
As monsoon continues to elude the national Capital, the day temperature has been constantly soaring in the last couple of days. The maximum temperature was recorded at 41.3°C on Wednesday which settled at 40.5°C. “All these temperatures are highest for the month of July in 2013-14. last year, the mercury only soared as high as 39.2°C while in 2012 it had touched 43.5°C,” said a MeT Department official.
The maximum temperature was a good seven notches above normal, whereas, the Palam observatory registered 44°C, and the Ridge area and Ayanagar observatories recorded 41.7°C and 43.4°C respectively. The minimum temperature settled at 30.1°C which was three points above normal. Humidity levels remained between 26 per cent and 74 per cent during the day.
Monsoon had arrived in Delhi on July 3 but since then the city has seen only scanty rainfall in certain areas. According to the MeT, monsoon is likely to revive in the city from Monday. The weatherman has predicted partly cloudy sky in the city with possibility of thundery conditions occurring in some parts. The maximum and minimum are expected to settle around 41°C and 30°C respectively. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the power demand soared to 5,789 MW. “The maximum power demand in the city was
recorded at 5,810 MW at 3.58 pm, which is a new record of power consumption in Delhi,” a Power Department official said. The demand touched all-time high as mercury rose to 42°C. The rise in electricity demand caused 1-2 hour outages. The power demand in the city has been increasing at a rate of around 8 per cent in the last few years and the Government had projected it to touch 6,100 MW this summer.