Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting to review the situation of the ongoing heat wave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
The Prime Minister was briefed that as per IMD forecasts, the heat wave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The power consumption rose nearly 15 per cent to 156.31 billion units (BU) in May as compared to the year-ago period, the data from the government showed. This spike is mainly due to scorching heat in the country which forced excessive use of cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers.
Last year, in May 2023, the power consumption stood at 136.50 BU.
The highest supply in a day also rose to an all- time high of 250.07 GW in May 2024 against 221.42 GW in the year-ago month. The previous all-time high peak power demand of 243.27 GW was recorded in September 2023.
The Power Ministry last month projected a peak power demand of 235 GW during daytime and 225 GW during evening hours for May and 240 GW during daytime and 235 GW during evening hours for June 2024.
The ministry also estimated that peak power demand may hit 260 GW during this summer.
The Prime Minister has instructed that proper drills for preventing and handling incidents of fire must be done on a regular basis. Fire audit and electrical safety audit of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly.
He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire-line in forests and productive utilisation of the biomass must be planned.
This year, the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of Peninsular India.