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Indian capital swelters as temperature hits
all-time high of 52.9 Celsius
By Sakshi
Dayal and Priyanshu Singh
May 29,
20245:35 PM GMT+2Updated 14 hours ago
NEW DELHI,
May 29 (Reuters) - Delhi recorded an all-time high temperature of 52.9 degrees
Celsius (127.22 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday as extreme heat conditions gripped the
north and western parts of India, causing students to faint in schools and
drinking water taps to dry up.
A heat wave
alert has been in place for large parts of India since last week but on
Wednesday the temperature in Mungeshpur, a densely packed corner of Delhi,
crossed the 50 C mark, the weather office said.
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The Indian
capital has had temperatures of over 45 C in previous years but never gone as
high as 52.9 C.
Streets in
Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi were deserted and most shops were shut as people
stayed indoors to avoid the searing heat, while residents handed out free cold
drinks in Narela after temperatures went up to 49.9 C on Tuesday.
"When
we go outside it seems like someone is slapping our faces. It has become
difficult to live in Delhi," said resident Akash Nirmal.
India
Meteorological Department (IMD) said it is examining the data and sensors to
look into Mungeshpur's temperature which was an outlier compared to other
stations.
"There
is so much heat in Delhi that students are fainting, some are falling sick,
some are facing dehydration. The students are facing a lot of trouble in this
heat. The fans don't work in our institutions," said Nidhi, a student, who
gave only their first name.
An unusual
transition from El Nino to La Nina and the lack of winds bringing moisture, has
resulted in prolonged heating, leading to record temperatures, Gufran Beig,
chair professor at the Indian Institute of Science told Reuters.
El Nino is
the warming of Pacific waters that is typically accompanied by drier conditions
over the Indian subcontinent while La Nina is characterised by unusually cold
temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
"We
suspect that it is all associated with climate change," he told Reuters.
A spot of
light rain in other parts of Delhi later on Wednesday brought some respite and
weather officials expect the heat to ease later this week over northwest and
central India.
India
declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees C to 6.4
degrees C higher than usual and a severe heat wave when it is 6.5 degrees C
higher than normal or more.
Local
government authorities have set curbs on water supply in Delhi, citing a
shortage, and imposed a fine of 2,000 rupees ($24) on those wasting water, such
as by washing cars.
Authorities
in the eastern state of Bihar directed schools to be shut till June 8 after
reports of students fainting at a government school.
Video
footage by news agency ANI showed a girl lying on a classroom bench as teachers
sprinkled her face with water and fanned her with a book.
Asia has
sweltered in a hotter summer this year - a trend scientists say has been
worsened by human-driven climate change.
Rajasthan
in central India has also been reeling under scorching heat with mercury
touching 50 degrees C in some districts. Government data shows 4 people have
died since March with 451 cases of heat stroke reported on Wednesday itself.
In a sharp
contrast, parts of northeastern India have been battered by heavy rain in the
aftermath of cyclone Remal, with at least 27 people killed in Mizoram after the
collapse of a stone quarry and multiple landslides.
Parts of
Assam, bordering Bangladesh, are also inundated.
($1=83.3221 Indian rupees)
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