*Amid scorching heat, PDD announces 8-hr power cut
Gopal Sharma/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, May 27: While heat wave continues in plain areas of Jammu region, Qazigund-the highway town of south Kashmir, recorded highest temperature today, breaking last 43 years’ record, whereas, amid scorching hot weather, the JPDCL today announced new power curtailment schedule of eight hours for rural and four hours for urban areas of the region.
A MeT official said that Qazigund experienced the hottest day today with the temperature soaring to 34.0 degrees Celsius, 8.7 degrees above normal, breaking the previous highest record, throwing normal life out of gear in the area. On May 31, 1981, Qazigund town had recorded 33.6 degrees Celsius while the previous day, the highway town recorded 33.5 degrees C temperature.
“The tourist spot of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, recorded a maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees C today, the second highest during the past 23 years. On May 23, 2000, Pahalgam had recorded 30.8 degrees temperature,” the official said.
The weatherman further said that Kokernag town in south Kashmir experienced the second highest maximum temperature at 31.6 degrees C on Monday during last 22 years. The highest day temperature of 32,6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Kukernag on May 15, 2001.
” The tourist town of Bhaderwah in Jammu division, recorded the third highest maximum temperature of 34.6 deg C today during last 23 years. The second highest temperature of 34.7 degrees was recorded on Sunday (May 26, 2024) and the first highest temperature of 37.6 degrees C on May 30, 2000,” the official added.
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Meanwhile, the MeT office predicted that there will be no respite in heat wave/hot & dry weather conditions over plains of Jammu and Kashmir during the next 7 days. There is a possibility of slight relief from heatwave/hot & dry weather conditions on May 30-31 and on June 1-2 over most parts of Kashmir division and few hilly areas of Jammu division. Another spell of heatwave is very likely to occur from June 3 onwards, the MeT office said.
The summer capital, Srinagar recorded the maximum temperature of 32.2 degrees C, about 6.1 degrees above normal during this period of the season.
The frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara recorded the maximum temperature of 30.9 deg C while, the famous ski- resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded 22.4 degrees C on Monday, which was 5.2 degrees above normal.
The winter capital Jammu today recorded 42.8 degrees C temperature which is highest so far of the season, and 3.7 degrees above normal; Katra town recorded 39.0 degrees C, 3.4 degrees above normal; Batote town a maximum temperature of 32.7 degrees C while highway town of Banihal in Ramban district today recorded a day temperature of 32,4 degrees Celsius, about 4.8 degrees above normal.
Leh town in the UT of Ladakh recorded a maximum temperature of 22.5 degrees and minimum 7.0 degrees Celsius today.
Meanwhile, as Jammu is grappling with extreme hot weather conditions for the last about two weeks, the PDD authorities today announced a four-hour load-shedding in the urban areas and eight-hour power curtailment schedule for the rural areas of Jammu region on daily basis.
A Jammu Power Development Corporation Ltd (JPDCL) official said that the power curtailment schedule will be in three shifts – morning, afternoon and evening – across the division.
The new schedule was issued on the day when Jammu city recorded the hottest day at 42.8 degrees Celsius. .
The JPDCL officials said the power curtailment was necessitated by the spike in domestic requirement of electricity due to soaring temperatures over the past fortnight, especially after May 16, when the day temperature for the first time crossed 40 degree Celsius mark in Jammu.
It is pertinent to mention here that JPDCL recently announced purchase of 200 MWs of additional power to overcome the power crisis created due to extreme hot weather conditions and distress power cuts.
Various parts of Jammu and other districts witnessed protests by people fuming over unscheduled power curtailment and water scarcity over the past two weeks.
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