Children paly in a fountain at People's Square as
temperatures hit 36.1 degrees Celsius in the city yesterday. The scorching
weather sent residents looking for ways to beat the heat, and high air
conditioning use drove up electricity demand.[Photo:Zhang Suoqing/Shanghai
Daily]
Shanghai Daily news
A red hot alarm was sounded yesterday for the second time in Shanghai
this summer, as the temperatures topped 36 degrees Celsius.
The scorching
heat has increased demand for power and tap water, boosted sales of
air-conditioners, and sent many seniors and children to hospital. But the heat
didn't create any major problems with the city's power grid, mainly because most
factories and offices were closed for the weekend.
The red hot alert is
sounded when temperatures are between 35 and 38 degrees. Meteorologists issued
the warning at about 8am yesterday, and the mercury eventually rose to 36.1
degrees. On Saturday, the daily high was 35.9 degrees and the red hot alert was
in effect for 12 hours.
At least one elderly man suffered heatstroke on a
tour bus on Saturday, but he was treated by police and other passengers on
board. The air-conditioning system and automatic doors on the bus broke down as
it was traveling along Hongshan Road, locking more than 60 passengers in the
vehicle. The elderly man fainted due to the extreme heat. Several passengers
performed first aid while others called police. The elderly man regained
consciousness 10 minutes later.
The city's power grid load peaked at 13.29
million kilowatts on Saturday. But it could hit 15 million kw today, when office
buildings and factories reopen.
The city is expecting a supply shortfall of
around 2.5 million kw if temperatures remain above 35 degrees for several days
in a row.
The tap water supply reached 6 million tons on Saturday, a
noticeable increase from usual, according to the city's water-supply control
center.
However, demand didn't threaten the total tap water supply capacity,
officials said. They estimated a consumption peak after the plum rains season
concluded.
With the mercury rising in the city, local hospitals' emergency
rooms also faced an unusually busy weekend, as many elderly people suffered from
cardiac problems and children complained of diarrhea.
"We received about 300
patients a day, but the number jumped to over 400 these two days," said a doctor
at Renji Hospital's emergency department yesterday.
"Most are elderly people
with a cold, fever or cardiac syndromes and migrant workers, who may work and
live in poor conditions."
The number of people suffering high fever
reportedly increased 80 percent from usual at Zhongshan Hospital. Doctors said
that is the result of people spend too much time in overly air-conditioned
rooms.
Despite doctors suggesting moderate use of air-conditioners, sales of
the appliance were booming at local household appliances stores.
At several
outlets of Gome Electric Appliance Co, sales of air-conditioners over the
weekend tripled from a week earlier. The company's 30 installation teams have
been working from 5am to midnight.