Cold wave grips Delhi, temperature dips to 1.8 degrees Celsius
Delhiites woke up to a foggy and chilly morning on Friday as the cold wave in North India tightened its grip further. One of South West Delhi's peripheral localities, Aya Nagar, reported a record-low temperature of 1.8 degrees Celsius this morning. Meanwhile, Safdarjung recorded a temperature of 4 °C. Furthermore, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the "very poor" category on Friday.
Why does this story matter?
The Indo-Gangetic plains witnessed a much-intense cold wave in the last week of December, with the national capital recording a minimum temperature of 3 °C on Thursday. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this was almost four notches below the normal temperature. Dense fog blocked the sun, causing low daytime temperatures in parts of Delhi-NCR.
Shelter homes opened for homeless people in Delhi amid cold
Amid the brutal cold wave, shelter homes have been opened in Delhi for homeless people. According to news agency ANI, many homeless people flocked to shelters in their areas to protect themselves from the ongoing bone-chilling winter conditions in the national capital. Numerous visuals from different parts of Delhi also showed people lighting up bonfires to seek respite from the rampant cold wave conditions.
190 functional tents for homeless available in Delhi
"During winter, we put up almost 250 tents in Delhi. Now, we've 190 functional tents & 50 are in standby mode. Apart from mattresses and blankets. We also provide three meals a day to occupants," a Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board member said.
Visuals from a shelter home near Sarai Kale Khan station
Delhi AQI at 369 on Friday morning
Delhi's hourly AQI was 369 at 7:30 am on Friday, the Central Pollution Control Board revealed. On Thursday, the average 24-hour AQI was 340 at 4:00 pm. "For the next three days, surface wind speed (calm to 8km/h) and temperature (Max 17-18 degrees C; Min 3-4 degrees C) are likely to worsen air quality," System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research said.
Delhi's power demand highest in 3 years amid cold wave
On Thursday, the ongoing cold conditions pushed the national capital's peak power demand to a record high of 5,247 megawatts (MW). As per officials, this is way more than the peaks recorded during winters over the last two years. As per the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) Delhi statistics, the peak power demand clocked 5,247 MW at 10:56 am.
TPDDL records peak demand of 1,646 MW on Thursday
A Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) spokesperson revealed that the company recorded a peak demand of 1,646 MW on Thursday. "TPDDL successfully met the record peak power demand of 1,646 MW today without any network constraint and power outage amid cold wave conditions," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by news outlet India TV.
