New Delhi:

The nondescript area of Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi was thrust into the limelight on Wednesday, when the temperature recorded by an India Meteorological Department weather station in the area was a staggering 52.9 degrees Celsius, making it a record not just for the national capital, but also for all of India.

While the IMD has said it is checking the temperature sensor in the observatory, especially since it was an outlier compared to the other weather stations in Delhi, people in Mungeshpur said that, irrespective of the final figure, Wednesday was indeed the hottest it has ever been in the area. 

The residents told NDTV that several people, including children, had to be hospitalised because of heatstroke and other heat-related issues. What made things worse, they said, was the fact that a large part of the area did not have electricity all of Wednesday night after a transformer exploded at 11 pm.

Jai Narayan, who works at Jawahar Navodaya School in Mungeshpur, said, “The temperature was indeed very high on May 29 and some people from the meteorological department came and checked the sensor at night.”

Bhawani, who runs a hardware shop in the area, said, “The heatwave has been very intense this time and it has been over 45 degrees consistently. Yesterday did feel like it was over 50 degrees.” 

Another local resident, Vijay, who is 65 years old, said many of his family members fell ill because of the heat. 

“The transformer exploded around 11 pm. All of us and all the children in the area had to suffer without power in the heat. Many people had to be taken to hospitals. It felt like it was raining fire,” he said. 

For shopkeepers, much like the heat, it’s been a case of extremes. 

Rohit, who runs a general store, said he has seen a rise in his business because cold water bottles and soft drinks are selling like hotcakes. “A record has been broken. We have never experienced temperatures as high as this,” he said. 

Bhupendra is from Bihar and runs a cycle repair shop in the area. He said business is down since no one is stepping out in the afternoons because of the heat. 

‘Wait For Final Figure’

IMD chief M Mohapatra, however, said the figure of 52.9 degrees should not be treated as final and that the sensors are being checked. 

“Mungeshpur was an outlier. We have 17 observatories in Delhi and the temperature in Mungeshpur was very different from the rest. Delhi has never seen such high temperatures, the previous high was 48.4 degrees in Palam. This is why checking the data is a must, I would request everyone to wait for that to happen,” Mr Mohapatra said. 

New Delhi:

India’s highest temperature – 52.3 degrees Celcius – was recorded today in Delhi, which is witnessing an unprecedented and intense heatwave.

The Mungeshpur weather station in northwest Delhi recorded India’s hottest-ever day today at 52.3 degrees Celsius at 2:30 pm.

Soaring temperatures triggered a spike in power consumption – the national capital hit its all-time high power demand of 8,302 megawatts (MW) as residents turned on air-conditioning to survive the rising temperatures, electricity department officials said.

Why Is It So Hot In Delhi?

The extreme heat in Delhi is part of a broader heatwave sweeping most parts of northern and central India. On Sunday, temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan’s Phalodi – the highest temperature recorded in India since June 2019, when Churu, another city in Rajasthan, hit 50.8 degrees Celsius.

Extreme Heat Across North India

This heatwave is not confined only to the northern plains but has also impacted Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. During the sixth phase of the seven-phased general elections on May 25, voters in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi braved extreme heat as temperatures in the capital exceeded 45 degrees Celsius. Polling booths in several areas did not have adequate facilities like water, coolers, and chairs, leading to voters fainting in the harsh conditions.

Several cities in India logged record temperatures recently. Bengal’s Cooch Behar saw temperatures reaching 40.5 degrees Celsius, while in Assam’s Silchar, it was 40 degrees. Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh recorded 40.5 degrees Celsius. At least 17 places across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh recorded temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius or higher.

The weather office has been issuing ‘red’ warnings for several regions, including Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat, indicating a very high likelihood of heat illness and heatstrokes in all ages. The Met department also noted warm night conditions would exacerbate heat stress in UP, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan till Thursday. High night temperatures are dangerous as they prevent the body from cooling down.

The Heat Multiplier Effect

Akash Vashishtha, founder-secretary of the Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity, in an interview with news agency PTI, said that urban areas like Delhi-NCR become heat chambers due to land and surface concretisation, leading to a heat multiplier effect. The urban heat island effect traps heat in the lower atmosphere, significantly raising ambient temperatures. There is a need to keep ground surfaces vegetated to absorb solar radiation and reduce heat reflection to mitigate this, he said.

Impact On Low-Income Households, Children, Jobs

The heatwave is significantly burdening low-income households that have limited access to water and cooling facilities.

“Low-income households have limited capacity to adapt to extreme heat because of poor access to water and electricity. Additionally, the design and construction of informal houses often mean there is poor ventilation and little shelter from extreme heat,” Anna Walnycki of the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development said.

Outdoor workers, especially labourers working in construction, are at higher risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena today directed that construction site workers be given a paid break from 12 noon to 3 pm amid the heatwave conditions in the national capital. He directed that the three-hour break will continue across all sites until temperatures dip below 40 degrees Celsius.

Heatwaves reduce children’s productivity and affect learning outcomes. Students perform worse during hot school years, and with 15% of government schools lacking functional electricity, rural education is disproportionately affected, studies showed.

Extreme heat may also lead to job losses. A World Bank report said India could account for 34 million of the projected 80 million global job losses from heat stress-associated productivity decline by 2030.

Effect On Power Grids And Water Sources

The intense heat is straining power grids and depleting water bodies, triggering drought-like conditions in various regions. Delhi recorded its highest-ever power demand of 8,302 MW amid the heatwave conditions.

Water storage in 150 major reservoirs reached a five-year low last week, triggering water shortages and impacting hydropower generation, the Central Water Commission said.

In Delhi, water levels in the Yamuna have dropped, impacting water supply. A fine of Rs 2,000 will be imposed on water-wasting activities like washing vehicles with a hose and using domestic water supply for construction and commercial purposes, the Delhi government said today.

Extreme Heat And Deaths

The World Health Organisation reported that over 1.66 lakh people died from heatwaves between 1998 and 2017, with India alone reporting 3,812 deaths due to heatwaves between 2015 and 2022.

(With input from PTI)