New Delhi recorded its highest temperature ever on Wednesday – 126 degrees Fahrenheit, or 52.3 degrees Celsius – as residents of India’s capital sweltered in a heat wave that has kept temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in several Indian states for weeks.
In New Delhi, where stepping out of your home feels like walking into an oven, officials worry that the power grid will be overwhelmed and the city’s water supply may need to be rationed.
The past 12 months have been the hottest on record. Miami and other cities are experiencing extreme heat Even before summer arrives, scientists said this week that the average person on Earth has already experienced Abnormally high temperatures will continue for another 26 days The past year would have been a better time if it weren’t for human-induced climate change.
While dust storms and light rains offered some hope of relief in New Delhi late Wednesday afternoon, the weather station in Mungeshpur, northwest of the capital, reported a mercury of 126 degrees Fahrenheit around 2:30 p.m. Dr. Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist at the Delhi Regional Meteorological Center, said it was the highest temperature ever recorded by the automatic weather monitoring system, which was installed in 2010.
Temperatures have exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit in several northern Indian states for weeks, with hospitals reporting increasing numbers of heat stroke cases. Hundreds of forest fires have been reported in Himalayan states.
In an effort to conserve water during the sweltering summer, Delhi Water Minister Aatish Malena announced the deployment of 200 teams to combat waste and misuse. She said fines would be imposed for washing cars with hoses, “overflowing water tanks” and “using domestic water for construction or commercial purposes”.
Last week, as India was experiencing its worst heatwave, a consumer disputes tribunal’s adjournment order showed how much the heat was affecting daily life in the Indian capital.
Presiding officer Suresh Kumar Gupta complained that there was no air conditioning in the rooms and water supply to the bathrooms was also affected.
“It was too hot inside the courtroom, causing people to sweat, making it difficult to hear arguments. In such circumstances, arguments could not be heard, and therefore the case was adjourned,” he said in his order.
Jitender Singh, 42, an autorickshaw driver in the city’s east, said business had dropped by about a third as people were reluctant to leave their homes. He and his colleagues were often sick, he said.
“But we have to hit the road to support our family,” he added.
