As several areas in southern West Bengal reeled under heatwave on Friday, the MeT department forecast more severe conditions over the next few days with the maximum temperature likely to rise by another one to three degrees Celsius.

The weather office said that the maximum temperature is likely to be above normal by four to six degrees Celsius at many places in south Bengal in the next five days.

The MeT department forecast "severe heatwave conditions" in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Birbhum and Paschim Bardhaman districts.

It said that heatwave is very likely to prevail at a few places in other districts of south Bengal.

The weather office said that the severity of heat in early summer in south Bengal was caused by dry westerly winds at lower levels along with strong solar insolation.

Panagarh in Paschim Bardhaman district recorded Friday's highest temperature in West Bengal at 44 degrees Celsius, which was over seven notches above normal, the MeT department said.

Medinipur, Suri and Jhargram towns followed closely, all recording the day's maximum temperature at 43.5 degrees Celsius, more than six counts above normal, it said.

Kolkata and neighbouring Salt Lake were also not far behind, where the mercury level went up to 40.8 degrees Celsius.

The otherwise busy streets in the metropolis wore a comparatively deserted look during the day as many people chose to remain indoors to avoid the scorching sun.

Meanwhile, state Power Minister Aroop Biswas held a meeting with officials of the Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) on Friday to discuss the power utility's preparedness to meet increased demand in view of heatwave conditions and to ensure uninterrupted power supply, officials said.

CESC has a nearly 35 lakh consumer base under its command area in Kolkata and Howrah.

Recognising the potential for technical disruptions, the minister mandated immediate SMS notifications to consumers in the event of any faults.

Additionally, Biswas ordered the deployment of high-capacity generators to maintain power supply during repairs.

To bolster readiness, CESC was instructed to augment a fleet of mobile repairing vans and increase manpower to handle surge in power-related issues, the officials said.

The meeting was also attended by the state power secretary and officials of state-owned power generating company West Bengal Power Development Corporation.

The utilities said their power infrastructure is being closely monitored to prevent outages and ensure that the power needs of the people and businesses are met.

Power demand across the state has jumped by 32 per cent to 10,240 MW during the evening peak on Thursday, compared to same date last year. Demand during off-peak period was even higher at 10,413 MW, the officials said.

Power is distributed in the state by state-owned WBSEDCL and private utility CESC.

CESC vice president (distribution) Avijit Ghosh said, "On Thursday, demand in our distribution command area was 2,340 MW, up from 1,754 MW a week before, showing a considerable rise owing to the heatwave..

Ghosh said that despite campaigns, people were not informing the utility of air conditioner installation, as a result of which unsanctioned load was leading to disruption in certain areas.

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