New Delhi: People in northern India are struggling with an unrelenting, weeks-long heatwave, with temperature in India’s capital soaring to a national record-high of 52.3 degrees Celsius (126.1 Fahrenheit), the government’s weather bureau said.
An IMD official told, this is the highest ever maximum temperature recorded so far in Delhi.
On May 28, the city recorded 49.9°C, the highest ever reported in 100 years. Areas such as Mungeshpur and Narela registered temperatures of 49.9°C, 9°C above normal. Najafgarh also recorded 49.8°C. The previous highest temperature was 49.2°C, recorded in May 2022.
Before May 28, the highest temperature in the city was recorded on May 16, 2022, at 49.2°C, the highest in the past 100 years. However, some relief came as the IMD reported light rain in certain areas of the national capital territory.
However, Delhi was not alone, as the mercury spiked across northwestern India. The temperature in the city of Churu in the state of Rajasthan soared to 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit). Sirsa, a city in the state of Haryana, saw thermometers reach 50.3 degrees Celsius (122.5 degrees Fahrenheit), Indian authorities said.
Rajasthan’s Phalodi town previously held the all-time heat record, hitting 51C (124F) in 2016. India declares a heatwave whenever temperatures are above 45C (113 F).
Heatwave conditions will prevail in Delhi on Wednesday but are expected to subside starting Thursday, the IMD said.
Extreme heat is becoming more common and intense in much of the world because of the human-caused climate crisis. India is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat and some places there are pushing the limits of human survivability, experts say.
One study found that heat waves have killed more than 24,000 people in the country since 1992. The increase in heat events in coming years could threaten India’s development, and risk reversing its progress on poverty alleviation, health and economic growth, the study said.
The brutal weather has forced schools to close in several cities and raised the risk of heatstrokes for people working outdoors. The extreme heat also coincides with a six-week general election, increasing health risks as people wait in long lines to cast their vote. The voting ends on Saturday.
The sizzling temperatures are also taking a toll on animals, putting them at risk of dehydration and heatstroke. Sitaram, an animal conservationist in the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan who goes by one name, said endangered chinkaras — also known as Indian gazelle — are facing a water shortage.
April, May and June are hot in most parts of India before monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures. But extreme heat is fast becoming a public health crisis in India, with the warm weather getting more intense in the past decade and typically accompanied by severe water shortages.
Tens of millions of India’s 1.4 billion people lack running water. New Delhi authorities have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in headache-inducing heat – cutting supplies to some areas.
-With Agency Input
– Dr. Shahid Siddiqui; Follow via X @shahidsiddiqui
