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Delhi, already grappling with an unprecedented heatwave and severe water crisis, faced a new blow on Saturday afternoon as several parts of the city experienced power outages due to a fire in a power grid in Uttar Pradesh's Mandola.
The power grid, which supplies 1,500 megawatts of electricity to the national capital, caught fire, plunging several areas into darkness.
Delhi Power Minister Atishi said that the power cut began at 2:11 PM and that efforts were underway to link the city to other power sources.
The power outage has added to the misery of Delhi residents, who are already facing extreme heat and water shortages.
The temperature in Delhi on Saturday afternoon hovered around 42 degrees Celsius, and the India Meteorological Department has predicted that heatwave conditions will prevail in most parts of the city.
The power cut has also disrupted water supply in some areas, as pumps that supply water to homes and businesses rely on electricity.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Delhi, has blamed the Centre for the power outage, saying that the national-level power infrastructure has failed.
The AAP has also accused the Centre of not releasing Delhi's share of water from Haryana, which has led to the acute water crisis in the city.
The Centre has not yet commented on the allegations.
Residents of Delhi have taken to social media to express their frustration over the power outage and water crisis.
Many have complained about being without power for hours, while others have said that they have been without water for days.
The Delhi government has said that it is working to restore power and water supply as soon as possible.
However, it is unclear when the situation will return to normal.
In the meantime, Delhi residents are being urged to conserve water and to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid heatstroke.
Source: Delhi's Nightmare: Massive Electricity Outage Amid Heatwave, Water Crisis