CHANDIGARH, June 8 — A severe heatwave has reestablished its grip across North India, driving maximum temperatures close to 45 degrees Celsius across Punjab and Haryana on Sunday. Regional meteorological departments issued a yellow alert running from June 8 through June 10, warning residents that extreme thermal conditions are expected to persist for at least three consecutive days.
The sharp uptick in temperature has already disrupted daily routines and caused a massive surge in regional power consumption.
“The demand for electricity in Punjab has crossed 12 thousand megawatts,” an official from the electricity department stated, noting a rapid departure from the previous week’s baseline of 10,000 megawatts. Power corporation executives noted that if the heatwave continues as predicted, regional demand is highly likely to exceed 14,000 megawatts over the coming week.
Bathinda registered as the hottest locality in Punjab with a peak temperature of 44.8 degrees Celsius, while Rohtak topped Haryana’s charts at 43.6 degrees Celsius. Other primary monitoring stations across Punjab recorded high figures, including Faridkot at 42.5 degrees Celsius, Fazilka at 42.2 degrees Celsius, and Ludhiana at 42 degrees Celsius.
Agrarian communities expressed immediate concern over the sudden weather shift, which coincides directly with critical phases of the summer cropping cycle.
“Farmers are starting to fear that their crops will dry up,” noted an agricultural extension representative, explaining that fruit and vegetable cultivators are being forced to irrigate their fields daily to prevent total crop failure. The heatwave arrives just as physical paddy sowing has commenced in more than a dozen districts, forcing laborers to work in intense sun conditions ahead of the next phase of sowing scheduled for June 9.
State utility providers assured consumers that infrastructure remains stable despite the stress on the grid, with official statements confirming that all necessary logistical arrangements have been secured to meet the rising energy load.
