The Hindu : National : Delhiites witness first monsoon showers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 10, 2006

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National

Delhiites witness first monsoon showers

Staff Reporter

Power problems in the capital also solved to an extent Power problems in the capital also solved to an extent

NEW DELHI: The first monsoon showers on Sunday brought the much-needed relief from the hot and humid weather for Delhiites and also solved their power woes, to some extent, due to a steep decline in demand.

Declaring that monsoon has finally hit the capital after a delay of more than 10 days, a Meteorological Department official said the rain is here to stay for some more days. During the day, Delhi received 10.4 mm of rainfall, while the temperature plummeted to below 30 degrees Celsius compared with Saturday's 39.2 degrees and Friday's 40.4 degrees Celsius.

The good news for Delhiites is that the Met office has forecast light to heavy showers over the next 24 to 48 hours. "Weather in Northern Indian has seen a turnaround since Saturday due to a fresh upper air cyclonic storm originating from North Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir," the official said.

It was a perfect weekend for residents of the capital who first enjoyed the showers in the morning and then descended in large numbers at the India Gate lawns, parks and public places in the evening.

The rain also brought some relief to the Delhi Government and its power department officials as for the first time, in the past few weeks, they were able to meet the power demand of consumers.

On Sunday, the peak demand dipped to 3,100 MW against Saturday's 3,700 MW, while there was no load shedding compared with Saturday's 900 MW. Another reason for the dip in demand on Sunday was the closure of offices and other institutions.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has said power situation in the capital would improve on Monday after it starts receiving about 350 MW power from Nathpa Jhakri and Dadri power plants.

Similarly, another 250-300 MW power would be available over the next 2-3 days from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Orissa.

Bihar train services hit

Special correspondent reports from Patna:

Over 100 villages in north Bihar were inundated by floodwaters caused by the release of water by Nepal following heavy rain in its catchment areas during the past few days.

The water has partially affected train services on the Narkatiaganj-Darbhanga section.

The railway authorities have issued a red alert to keep an eye on the flood situation.

The Bagmati has topped the National Highway 77 at Kataunja, snapping communication between Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi districts.

Several blocks have been affected in this region.

There are allegations of paucity of relief material and inaction on the part of the administration to control the floods and rescue the marooned people.

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