New Delhi: The intense heat waves witnessed in northwest and central India in recent weeks are expected to ease from Tuesday, the meteorological office said on Monday. Households and the energy system strained by record demand for electricity, however, are short-lived.
In its latest update, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said temperatures may drop by 3-5 degrees Celsius between April 28 and May 1, which would bring some relief to the heat-stressed northwest regions.
IMD sees over Jammu and Kashmir during 27-29 scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate precipitation or snow with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds in April; Himachal Pradesh during 28-30 April and 3 May and isolated to scattered rains over Uttarakhand during 28 April–3 May. May. Temperatures can stabilize in these regions and on days 2-3. no major fluctuations are expected in May.
Similarly, over central India, maximum temperatures are likely to remain stable till April 28, followed by a gradual decline of 2-3 °C between April 29 and May 1. A slight increase of 2-3°C is expected on May 2-3.
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Meanwhile, eastern parts of the country are expected to see daily temperatures drop by 3-5°C until April 30. Conditions are likely to remain stable during the 1st-3rd. May, the top meteorological office said.
On 26 April, the maximum daily temperatures rose to 40–46 °C over most of the country, except in Western Himalayas, Northeast Bihar, Northeast India where they were below 36 °C. The highest maximum temperature of 46.9°C was reported at Akola (Vidarbha) in Maharashtra.
Bleeder for power supply
Falling temperatures are expected to bring relief to the country’s power system, which on 24-25 April reached a record level of demand. On April 26, peak demand fell to 237 GW due to the closure of office, commercial and industrial premises. Estimated peak power consumption for FY27 is 271 GW as per Central Electricity Authority.
Amid the high temperatures, electricity generation from all sources, including thermal, solar, wind and hydro, saw an increase, with solar radiation making a significant contribution during the day.
The Ministry of Energy has set a target of commissioning 22 GW of energy production and storage capacity. Power plants with a total coal-fired power generation capacity of about 10 GW have postponed their maintenance programs this summer.
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As of March 31, India had 532.7 GW of installed capacity, including 221.9 GW of coal-based capacity and 274.7 GW of renewable capacity. With approximately 8 GW of the 20 GW of gas-based electricity generation capacity currently idle due to global supply constraints, there is further pressure on coal and other energy sources.
Coal continues to be the backbone of India’s power sector, accounting for 74% of India’s total power generation. Data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed that India’s power plants had 54.74 million tonnes of coal reserves, enough for nearly 18 days of power supply.
Health concerns
Further, amid projections of intense heat, the health ministry, in a letter dated April 23, asked states and Union territories to ensure operationalization of dedicated heat stroke management units in all health facilities, adequate preparedness of emergency services, dissemination of early warnings and real-time reporting of heatstroke cases on the health ministry’s “Integrated Health Information Platform”.
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“I am confident that with proactive planning and coordinated action, States/UTs will be able to effectively mitigate the health impacts of extreme heat over the coming months. Your personal intervention in checking preparedness for the heat season while ensuring that the above measures are implemented will be key to protecting public health and preventing preventable heat-related mortality,” wrote Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family, seen by the Principal Secretary of the Ministry healthcare and families. mint.
Inquiries sent to the Ministry of Health remained unanswered as of press time.
