Indians face blackouts as power demand soars amid searing temperatures

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – People in several parts of India have been facing frequent power outages due to high electricity demand as temperatures soar, a survey found Thursday.

Temperatures have risen to 47.8C (118F) in Najafgarh on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi and to over 45C (113F) in several other cities, prompting schools in many places to close early.

Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan suffered heatstroke on Wednesday and was admitted to a hospital in Gujarat state, where he was attending an Indian Premier League cricket match in the city of Ahmedabad.

Local Circles, a community social media platform, in a survey conducted among more than 15,000 household consumers in 364 districts of India found that 38% of households are experiencing daily power outages, with 18% of those surveyed enduring them for 2-12 hours.

The survey results came as the India Meteorological Department announced that “heat wave to severe heat wave conditions” are most likely to continue over the plains of northwest India during the next five days.

The department also said the Barmer area in Rajasthan state recorded a maximum temperature of 48C (118.4F) on Wednesday.

The higher temperatures have boosted electricity demand across India.

In New Delhi, power demand reached 8,000 megawatts on Wednesday, an all-time high, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Apart from the power outages, several parts of India are also experiencing water shortages.

While May is considered the hottest month during the summer, the India Meteorological Department in its May weather outlook said that the number of heat wave days was likely to be above normal by about 5-8 days in several states.