MANGALDAI, Aug 7 - The recent heat wave where temperatures went up as high as 37 degrees Celsius has made normal life miserable for people of Mangaldai.
People here are now preferring to remain indoors to avoid the high intensity of the sun. With the rise in use of cooling equipment like air conditioners, air coolers and fans, power consumption has also increased.
APDCL Mangaldai division AGM Pranjal Kataki said that the demand for power in the peak hours in Mangaldai town has increased to 3 megawatt. �The demand for power in the Bhebarghat feeder, which supplies power to nearly 10,000 consumers in greater part of Mangaldai town and some nearby areas increased to 3 megawatt from the normal 2.6 megawatt,� Kataki said.
On the other hand, the heat wave has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for traders dealing with electrical goods. Sale of air conditioners, air coolers and fans have seen a steep rise.
Talking to this newspaper, Bhairab Deka, a trader of electric goods, said, �After a bad patch of trading due to the coronavirus pandemic, we now have something to cheer about. In the last couple of days, there has been an average sale of eight air conditioners. In the last season, the sale was almost double. However, the sale of refrigerator due to COVID-19 has come down to almost nil.�
Similarly, a wholesale trader of electric goods at MG Road here, said he has sold 4,500 electric fans in the last couple of days.
Meanwhile, there is likely to be some respite in the heat wave as the IMD in its weather forecast for the next five days indicated a possibility of rainfall of 24-44 mm in Darrang district. However the maximum temperature is still going to persist around 37 degrees Celsius.
