City broils under black hot alert
2/7/2005 8:28
Shanghai Daily news
A black hot alert was
raised for the first time this summer in the city yesterday after the mercury
climbed to 38 degrees Celsius - the hottest day of the year.
Hundreds of
families were affected by blackouts and water cutoffs.
Don't expect any
relief this weekend. The sizzling weather was expected to continue with daily
highs forecast at 37 to 38 degrees Celsius, according to the Shanghai
Meteorological Bureau.
Meanwhile, a municipal source said summer electricity
pricing for industrial users started yesterday.
The average price per
kilowatt hour will rise 0.035 yuan (0.4 US cent) and will be in effect for three
months. The source also said the move was to regulate consumption and encourage
energy saving.
The black alert was raised from red yesterday afternoon. The
black alert is raised when the temperature reaches 38 degrees Celsius.
Power
demand soared yesterday to 15.81 million kilowatts, a new record. It was the
third time the record was broken this week.
Surging demand overloaded the
power grid and caused blackouts.
In a residential complex on Lanxi Road,
Putuo District, a transformer broke down. Power was cut for three hours to
hundreds of homes, a supermarket and a seniors home. A girl was also trapped in
an elevator when the power failed, but she was rescued unharmed by
firefighters.
The city's 95598 electricity hot line received more than 5,000
calls per day this week, of which 60 percent were due to overloaded power lines
or electricity meters that broke down.
One residential complex on Lingzhao
Road in Pudong New Area had no water for more than three hours after a water
pipe burst nearby.
In puxi, Waterworks Shibei Co, which supplies water to
areas north of Suzhou Creek, reportedly fixed 85 pipe leakages this
week.
Doctors said there was no unusual spike in the number of patients
admitted due to dehydration or heat stroke yesterday. They said most people know
to avoid physical exertion, stay indoors and drink lots of water under scorching
conditions.
But the hot weather did cause some people to smile.
Gome
electric Appliance Co reported a 180 percent increase in sales of air
conditioners and a 200 percent jump in electric fans from the same period last
year.
|
