Sweltering conditions keep people indoors, in baths – and shopping less

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Despite the intermittent rains and thunderstorms being experienced temperatures continued to soar in the past two weeks, leaving many people huffing and puffing during the day. According to the Colombo Meteorological Department (CMD) the temperature in Colombo is around 33C with the relative humidity ranging from 75-100 per cent, prompting several complaints from the public on the extreme heat conditions being experienced.

A helping shawl to beat the heat

CMD Director-General Lalith Chandrapala said although there was a slight shift in the weather pattern the south-west monsoon would only break in the third week of this month. He said the country was experiencing the inter-monsoonal season and that the spate of heat waves was common at this time. “The south-west monsoon will bring in a cooling effect,” he added.

Sales of bottled water and soft drinks have skyrocketed and thambili sellers were seen having a field day selling at Rs. 60-70 a nut.  Many vendors selling goods on the pavements and in marketplaces said business was dull as people did not want to stop in the intense heat. “They just brush past,” said Somasiri, who sells plastic household items and toys in Pettah.

Another small business in Dehiwela selling ladies’ fancy items said people were not walking into the shop as it did not have air conditioning. “They want cool places to shop,” a salesman said. While office workers thankfully opt to remain within their office environment house-bound members of the public are keeping themselves cool by having frequent baths. “I bathe up to five times a day and keep the fans on but still feel hot,” Rukshana, a housewife, complained.
The Ceylon Electricity Board said despite the extreme weather conditions there would be no power cuts. CEB General Manager C. Wickremasekera said hydropower reservoirs remained more than half-full in capacity and the power supply would not be interrupted.

Thambili: The thirst quencher that is much in demand these days (above and left).Pix by Indika Handuwala

He said the main reservoirs, Castlereagh, Moussakelle, Victoria and Randenigala are up to 66 per cent full and could last up to the start of the monsoonal rains. “We shouldn’t have any problems,” he said. He said that interestingly power consumption in the last few days has remained static despite the Vesak illuminations all over the country.

According to CEB statistics, on a normal day consumption during peak hours is around 1870 megawatts and the reading recorded during the Vesak week was around 2000 megawatts, showing only a slight upward change. This he attributed to the closure of offices and factories during holidays while many households in Sri Lanka do not have air conditioners the power requirement was stable.

Meanwhile the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) said that there has been an overall increase of 6-10 per cent in the usage of water islandwide with districts in the southern province recording the highest. “The districts of Kalutara, Matara and Bandarawela have increased consumption by nearly 10 per cent,” he said.

In Colombo, several complaints of low pressure in the pipelines have been received. NWSDB Chairman K.A. Hanza said high-rise buildings and condomoniums in Colombo area have been badly affected with households complaining of trickles coming through their taps. He said the NWSDB was releasing the same volume of water every day to consumers, but due to the excess usage of water by people living in low-level areas who are at the beginning of the supply line, the tail-enders suffered.

Colombo National Hospital Director, Anil Jayasinghe warned that the heat and humidity could exacerbate chronic health problems such as skin diseases and arthritis. He advised the general public to stay indoors as much as possible and take plenty of liquids and have frequent baths. He also advised people to wear hats, sunglasses and light-coloured cotton clothes when going outdoors.

Sending out a special warning to the sick, elderly and children, he said that they should take more care and avoid going outdoors. “Their skins are sensitive to heat and dehydration can occur easily,” he said.