With the mercury climbing to 39.3 degrees Celsius Tuesday, Shanghai has now suffered through 18 consecutive days with temperatures above 35, matching last year's total and doubling the annual average.

The hot spell will continue, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau forecast, creating challenges for the city's electricity supply system.

The municipal government decided yesterday to extend restrictions on electricity supplies to more factories and non-essential engineering projects. Some factories will also be asked to halt production during the heat wave for the sake of employees' health and to reduce power usage in the city during peak hours.

The government also announced that all landscape lighting around the city will be temporarily suspended, effective yesterday.

While today is expected to be slightly cooler than yesterday, temperatures are still expected to hit 37 degrees Celsius, the bureau said.

Yesterday was the second-hottest day this year, just slightly cooler than last Friday, when the city recorded temperatures of 39.6 degrees Celsius, the hottest Shanghai has been in 60 years.

"The heat will go on for at least several days, and so far there's no clue when it will end," said Dai Xinfu, chief meteorologist for the bureau.

Shanghai's electricity network recorded peak demand of 13.44 million kilowatts yesterday, 1 million kw higher than its designed generating capacity, an official with Shanghai Electricity Power Co said. The city got supplementary power supplies from the Three Gorges Hydroelectricity Station and Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant.

Several large industrial enterprises around the city were asked over the weekend to give workers one extra day of vacation this week to reduce power demand. The power company is now asking the government to expand the list of enterprises affected, and to ask them to shut down for several days.

The situation was so bad yesterday that several outlying residential districts suffered power cuts.

"Probably some factories in suburban areas will be asked to start rationing so that few problems will be caused to downtown," said a power company official surnamed Li.

The company is also asking local families to turn down their air conditioners a little bit. If every family in the city raised the temperature controlled by their air conditioner by 1 degree, it notes, that would allay the demand in the city power grid by nearly 300,000 kw.

"It will affect a single house to a very little degree, but will almost save the entire Shanghai electricity network," said an official surnamed Chen of Shanghai Electric Power Co.

The heat wave is also causing health problems. Local hospitals are reporting a big increase of patients suffering from various diseases.

Doctors said elderly people should be aware of cardiac vascular ailments, strokes and colds caused by air conditioners.

"Our hospital received more than 5,000 people at the out-patient department since the temperature reached 37 degrees these days," said Fan Xuefang, who works at the Shanghai No 1 People's Hospital.

(eastday.com July 30, 2003)