Serbia asks residents to save electricity amid heat wave

JAKARTA - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic has urged citizens to save on electricity use following the start of the hot weather period in the country.

The Emergency Situation Handling Sector under the auspices of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior previously sent a short message to warn the public of the start of a prolonged period of high temperatures since July 30.

Local authorities estimate that the air temperature can reach 40 degrees Celsius.

Following up on the extreme weather conditions, the Serbian National Emergency Situation Headquarters held a meeting in the capital city of Belgrade on Thursday (30/7).

"We estimate that electricity consumption will increase from next week to 100 to 105 gigawatt per day," Djedovic-Handanovic said in a statement.

"Therefore, we appeal to the public to act rationally and use electricity wisely, because the process of producing and distributing energy is still influenced by natural factors," he continued.

The hot weather that hit Serbia has triggered a decrease in discharge and a decrease in water surface height in a number of water areas in the country.