Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Delhi heatwave prompts crisis measures to save power

Terra Daily via AFP: The New Delhi government was cutting power at shopping malls and turning off street lights as the mercury soared to avoid a repeat of a power crisis two years ago, an official said Monday.

The government announced a string of emergency measures to conserve power in the Indian capital as the temperature hovered close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, the highest in six decades.

Government offices, universities and colleges have been instructed to switch off air- conditioning units between 3:30 pm (1000 GMT) and 4:30 pm. Power to shopping malls, where many Delhi residents flock to beat the heat, will be cut at 10:00 pm and street lamps will be switched off for three hours after 10:00 pm.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who heads the Delhi government, urged residents and private offices to do their bit to save power, including by turning down their air conditioners. "The Lieutenant Governor has appealed to the citizens to come forward and help conserve energy," his office said in a statement on Sunday....

SPOT satellite image of New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons license 3.0

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