Indian engineers warn of prolonged blackouts amid searing heatwave

Engineers in India have warned of the possibility of prolonged power outages in the north, where a heatwave has brought misery for millions of people. Demand for electricity has soared due to fans, air coolers and air conditioners being run constantly, placing a strain on the grid in Delhi and elsewhere in the north. Manufacturers of air conditioners and air coolers report sales rising by 40-50% compared with last summer. Power consumption in the northern state of Punjab has increased by 43% so far this month compared with the same period last year. The All India Power Engineers Federation has written to the state government saying the situation is becoming more “serious by the day” and that a grid outage in Punjab could have a domino effect on the rest of the country. “If the situation continues, there are fair chances of a grid disturbance,” the federation said. Increased demands for power in June have led to power cuts across the region, including a one-hour outage at Indira Gandhi airport that halted check-ins and boarding. Overheated electrical gadgets have caused short circuits, leading to fires in shops and homes. Many parts of India have been in the grip of a heatwave since mid-May. Overnight temperatures of about 33C (91F) have meant there is little to no respite from the heat. Years of scientific research have found the climate crisis is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Life has become particularly difficult for people obliged to work outside, such as street vendors, traffic police, security guards, delivery staff, auto-rickshaw wallahs and construction workers. The poor neighbourhoods they tend to live in have experienced water shortages that have exacerbated the difficult conditions. “This year, the mornings and evenings are almost as bad as the day,” said Ram Milan, a security guard. “When I get home, I can’t even splash water on my face. My wife guards it jealously for cooking and washing.” What upsets him the most is seeing his two grandchildren struggling to sleep. “When they don’t sleep, they are listless during the day and I don’t like that,” he said. Milan’s employer has started giving him packets of oral rehydration salts – usually used for diarrhoea – to take home to his family to prevent any salt or potassium imbalance. Those with money are fleeing Delhi and the plains for the cooler climes of the hills. But even in these areas, above-average temperatures have led to forest fires and water shortages. Hotel owners in the popular hill towns are ordering water tankers because the taps have run dry. Increasing numbers of guests are inquiring about the provision of air conditioners, which used to be unheard of. “No one ever used to ask me that question,” said Lalit Mohan, who runs a homestay in Almora, Uttarakhand state. “But if this continues, then I can see myself having to install them.”