Delhi temperature hits 49.9C as India’s capital records hottest day

 

At least 3 weather stations in Delhi registered maximum temperatures of 49°C or higher. Mungeshpur and Narela recorded 49.9°C, followed by Najafgarh at 49.8°C.

Temperatures in Delhi have hit a record-high of 49.9C (121.8F), as authorities warned of water shortages in India’s capital.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported “severe heatwave conditions”, recorded the temperatures on Tuesday at two Delhi suburbs stations at Narela and Mungeshpur. The weather bureau said the temperatures were nine degrees higher than expected.

The IMD warned of the heat’s impact on health, especially for infants, elderly people and those with chronic diseases.

India is no stranger to searing summer temperatures.

Forecasters predicted similar temperatures on Wednesday for the city with a population of more than 30 million, issuing a red alert warning notice for people to take care. In May 2022, parts of Delhi hit 49.2C.

Years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.  City authorities warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters. The water minister, Atishi Marlena, called for “collective responsibility” in stopping wasteful water use, the Times of India newspaper reported on Wednesday.  To address the problem of water scarcity, we have taken a slew of measures such as reducing water supply from twice a day to once a day in many areas,” Atishi said, the Indian Express reported.

The water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” she added.

The heatwave has been building up inexorably for weeks, but even so residents were shocked by conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. People told of fingers being scorched from touching the steering wheel of a car, and tap water was coming out at boiling temperatures.

“Having a shower is almost a waste of time,” said Aruna Verma, a chemistry teacher. “You come out of it and instantly you are a sweaty mess again.”

Newspapers have published lists of does and don’ts based on doctors’ advice. People have been urged to stay indoors and wear light, loose cotton clothes – advice that is impossible for much of the city’s workforce to follow, including labourers and market stall sellers.

Construction workers have mostly stopped working between noon and 4pm. “The metal rods I’m working with are too hot to touch. Even if I restart work at 5pm, the rods are burning and the heat from the sparks makes it worse,” said Babu Ram, a welder working on a block of flats in New Friends Colony, south of the city centre.