Heatwave in Indore: Traffic Lights Shortened, Coolers Installed at Power Stations

Indore is grappling with extreme heat, prompting the traffic police to shorten red light durations at busy intersections, while the electricity department has installed coolers in front of power transformers. The city experienced a maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the highest in May in eight years, according to an official from the MeT department.

The maximum temperature in the city is likely to cross the 45-degree Celsius mark in the next two to three days, he said. "We have reduced the duration of the red light by eight to 11 seconds at three busy traffic intersections considering the scorching heat," assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Kiran Sharma said on Friday.

Traffic conditions are being reviewed at other signals in the city to replicate the process, she said. Eyewitnesses reported that green nets have been installed at some busy traffic signals to provide relief to motorists. An official from Madhya Pradesh Paschim Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company stated that large coolers have been placed in front of transformers at power stations across various parts of the city.

The temperature in the city has been very high for the last five days. Earlier, we had installed fans in front of transformers. When this did not help bring down the temperature, we started using big coolers for 24 hours on both sides of the transformer, said Satish Prajapat, an employee posted at the power substation of LIG intersection.