Kuwait power usage hits record --- Kuwait Times

KUWAIT/ROME: Temperatures reached new highs on Monday as heatwaves scorched parts of the Northern Hemisphere, triggering health warnings and fanning wildfires in the latest stark reminder of the effects of global warming. From North America to Europe and Asia, people gulped water and sought shelter from the sweltering heat, with the mercury expected to reach new highs in several places in the next few days. The maximum power consumption load in Kuwait reached 16,370 MW on Monday, the highest in the country’s history, breaking last year’s record of 16,180 MW as temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius. Informed sources said the ministry of electricity and water expects the load to continue rising in the coming days as the country is witnessing a rise in temperatures. The ministry also recorded a parallel increase in water usage, as consumption reached 501 million gallons out of a production rate of 508 million gallons. Near Athens, a forest fire flared in strong winds by the popular beach town of Loutraki where the mayor said holiday camps for youngsters had come under threat. “We have saved 1,200 children who were in the holiday camps,” said mayor Giorgos Gkionis. Greek police arrested a foreign man suspected of starting another of the ongoing wildfires, in Kouvaras, some 50 km southeast of Athens, fire service spokesman Yannis Artopios said. Europe, the globe’s fastest-warming continent, was bracing for its hottest-ever temperature on Italy’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48 degrees Celsius is predicted, according to the European Space Agency. The United Nations on Wednesday validated the European heat record of 48.8C set in Sicily in 2021. “The extreme weather — an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate — is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies,” said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Petteri Taalaswwo. “This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible.” In Rome, American Colman Peavy could not believe the heat as he sipped a cappuccino at a cafe with his wife Ana at the start of a two-week vacation. “We’re from Texas and it’s really hot there, we thought we would escape the heat but it’s even hotter here,” said the 30-year-old. It was already the world’s hottest June on record, according to the EU weather monitoring service, and July looks to be readying to challenge its own record. China reported a new high for mid-July in the northwest of the country, where temperature reached 52.2C in the Xinjiang region’s village of Sanbao, breaking the previous high of 50.6C set six years ago. In nearby Turpan city, where ground surface temperatures sizzled at 80C in some parts, authorities have told workers and students to stay home and ordered special vehicles to spray water on major thoroughfares, the weather body said. In Cyprus, where temperatures are expected to remain above 40C through Thursday, a 90-year-old man died as a result of heatstroke and three other seniors were hospitalized, health officials said. In the Turkish-held north of the island building worker Achebe Chimeka, aged 27, was still toiling outside. He may be used to the sun, but admitted “It’s very intense heat. It feels like my brain is going to stop. Some bosses don’t follow the rules but we don’t want to complain for fear of losing our jobs,” he said. In Japan, heatstroke alerts were issued in 32 out of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions. At least 60 people in Japan were treated for heatstroke, local media reported, including 51 who were taken to hospital in Tokyo. The heat was enough for at least one man to dispense with social mortification in Hamamatsu city. “It’s honestly unbearable without a parasol, although I have to admit it is a bit embarrassing,” he told national broadcaster NHK of the umbrella in his hand. In western and southern states in the US, which are used to high temperatures, more than 80 million people were under advisories as a “widespread and oppressive” heatwave roasted the region. California’s Death Valley, often among the hottest places on Earth, reached a near-record 52C Sunday afternoon. In Arizona, the state capital Phoenix recorded its 17th straight day above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), as temperatures hit 113F (45C) on Sunday afternoon. “We’re used to 110, 112 (degrees Fahrenheit) … But not the streaks,” Nancy Leonard, a 64-year-old retiree from the nearby suburb of Peoria, told AFP. “You just have to adapt”. In Europe, Italians were warned to prepare for “the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time,” with the health ministry sounding a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence. Temperatures were due to hit 42C-43C in Rome on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007. Nevertheless, visitors thronged to tourist hot spots like the Colosseum and the Vatican. “I’m from South Africa. We’re used to this heat,” said Jacob Vreunissen, 60, a civil engineer from Cape Town. “You have to drink lots of water, obviously wear your hat and that’s about it.” In Romania, temperatures are expected to reach 39C on Monday. Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where meteorologists warned of “abnormally high” temperatures on Monday, including up to 44C in the southern Andalusia region in what would be a new regional record. Along with the heat, parts of Asia have also been battered by torrential rain. South Korea’s president vowed Monday to “completely overhaul” the country’s approach to extreme weather, after at least 40 people were killed in recent flooding and landslides during monsoon rains, which are forecast to continue through Wednesday. – Agencies 2 days ago