Subscribe Now! Get features like
With heavy rain and strong winds lashing Delhi on Monday morning, several areas of the city faced power outages, which the distribution companies (discoms) said were either due to them switching off supply as a preventive measure or on account of trees/branches falling on overhead electricity lines and poles.
Hindustan Times spoke to a number of residents and found that supply was affected under all three discoms -- Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited -- from 4-5am on Monday.
TPDDL, which caters to north Delhi, said heavy rain and thunderstorm affected power supply in several parts of its jurisdictional area. “Heavy rain and storm inflicted damages to the electrical network and caused repeated trippings, leading to disruption in supply in Narela, Bawana, Badli, Mangolpuri, Kirari, Shalimar Bagh, Keshav Puram and Moti Nagar areas. Our teams are working relentlessly to minimise the impact and restore supply in a phased manner,” a TPDDL spokesperson said.
“Dedicated teams and vehicles have been strategically deployed at various places to cater to any emergency. Additionally, adequate inventory of essential spare parts, tools and equipment, including transformers, switchgear etc. has been ensured to minimise the supply restoration time. Customers can call our 24x7 toll-free helpline number 19124 in case of any supply or safety related emergency,” the spokesperson added.
Officials from the other discoms, who did not wish to be named, said supply in the city was primarily disrupted on account of trees or branches falling on overhead electricity lines and poles.
“Wet and swinging branches also touch overhead cables causing short circuits, sparking and outages. Discoms make preventive shutdowns in these circumstances to ensure safety of residents, particularly in areas that see water-logging. Operations and maintenance teams of the Delhi discoms were on a high alert and in most cases, supply was restored quickly,” said an official requesting anonymity.
Some other areas where the supply was disrupted included Mustafabad, Motia Khan, Kundli, Najafgarh, Nangloi, Paschim Vihar, Mukherjee Nagar and Dwarka.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that thunderstorms in the city will continue, accompanied by gusty winds of a speed of up to 60-90 kilometre per hour.
Simple precautions can help residents stay safe in the event of heavy rain and strong winds, and water-logging, discom officials said. People, especially children, should stay away from electrical installations such as poles, substations, transformers and streetlights, they cautioned.
The main power switch to the house should be turned off in case there is water-logging and earthing, and wherever possible, circuit breakers must be installed, power officials advised.
Residents should keep a ”tester (sort of a screwdriver that can detect current flow)” at their homes to check leakage in case of wet power switches or walls. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) should ensure twigs and plants near electricity lines are pruned, the officials said.
Mercury crawls past 40°C; IMD forecasts further rise
New Delhi: The relatively cool streak owing to the rainy spell earlier this week seems to have given way to warmer days ahead as the maximum temperature breached the 40-degree mark on Saturday after seven days. The minimum temperature was recorded at 26.9C. The hottest spots were Pitampura (42.4C), Sports Complex (42.2C), Mungeshpur (42.2C), and Najafgarh (417 C). At 38.9C, the weather station at Mayur Vihar recorded the lowest temperature.
Aryan Khan case: Maha home min demands action against ex-NCB official Sameer Wankhede
Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Saturday demanded action against former director of the Narcotics Control Bureau Mumbai zone, Sameer Wankhede, for falsely implicating Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case. A special investigation team of the anti-drugs agency on Friday filed a 6,000-page chargesheet that named 14 accused, while keeping out the names of AAryan Khanand a few others.
DMER directs deans to take help of nursing staff in civic hospitals, colleges
Mumbai: The directorate of medical education and research (DMER) on Saturday held a virtual meeting with deans, medical superintendents, nursing superintendents, and matrons of the state-run hospitals. The director asked deans to take the help of nurses working in civic-run hospitals and nearby nursing colleges to ensure the smooth functioning of hospitals amid the indefinite strike announced by nurses.
Delhi: In unlinked cases, 4 killed in a day; cops say 2 murders solved
New Delhi: Four people were killed and one person was injured in four unconnected firing and knifing incidents reported from four different areas in south, north and northeast Delhi within a span of 15 hours on Friday. Police said the accused in two of the cases have been arrested and raids are on to nab the others.
PMC serves notices to owners of 245 dilapidated wadas in Pune
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation has served notices to 245 dilapidated wadas (old structures) ahead of monsoon season citing it as unstable and risky to stay, officials said. PMC has divided wadas into three categories C1, C2 and C3. According to the civic officials, PMC has started razing old, dilapidated and unoccupied wadas after serving notices to its owners. PMC reports cases of accidents caused due to the falling sections of these wadas.
Personalise your news feed. Follow trending topics