The heatwave is expected to continue over the weekend with a system of high pressure coming from Northwest Africa, the Meteorology Service said yesterday with temperatures expected to reach a minimum of 41 degrees Celsius

Eleni Andreou Registered Clinical Dietician suggests people eat lighter and drink 8-12 glasses of water during the day, and also fresh juice and milk.

Meals should be low fat such as fish, vegetables, boiled pasta, chicken, salads and fruits.

During hot days people must avoid alcohol, sugar and caffeine as they are dehydrating and can cause sunstroke.As far as the island's electricity consumption is concerned, demand is high but has not yet reached surpassed records, an EAC spokesman said.

On Wednesday demand was 1053 MW. In summer 2007 it reached 1056 MW. Over the weekend demand will fall down due to companies and offices being closed but demand will rise again on Monday, he said.

"The public should remain calm since we haven't yet reached the highest capacity," he said.

"If extreme situations occur our authority is ready with back-up plans to deal with the situation."

The Fire Department is also on call to deal with fires that might be caused by high temperatures.

"The temperature of the air and wind are the two main elements which directly affect the cause of fires", said fire chief Andreas Nikolaou.

"We call on the public to avoid lighting up fires in the countryside. There are places approved by the Foresty Department that are available to the public for barbecues. We also ask drivers to respect the forests and not to throw cigarettes out of their windows."

Nicolaou added that people who live in houses in forest areas must make sure that there is nothing in their immediate vicinity that could ignite a fire.
Source: Cyprus-Mail