54 people were killed by a scorching heatwave that persisted unabatedly in numerous districts of India, primarily in Bihar. A brief break from the heatwave is anticipated in some parts of north India, including Delhi, where duststorms or light showers are predicted.
- Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi see heatwave-related deaths
- Maximum temperatures at 45-48°C in several places, including Delhi
- Monsoon, meanwhile, to advance into more parts of southern, northeastern states
In central, eastern, and northern India, a severe heatwave persisted, resulting in at least 54 fatalities. Maximum temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius were recorded in various locations, including Delhi. On May 31, there is a forecast for a dust storm in Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh between May 31 and June 1.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted extremely light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning over Northwest India’s plains between May 31 and June 2.
India is currently experiencing one of the worst heatwaves on record, with Delhi’s temperatures reaching record highs and almost surpassing all previous national records.
Wednesday’s temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius, which was recorded in the Mungeshpur area outside of the nation’s capital, alarmed people all around the nation.
The meteorological agency in India stated that although this reading is still being investigated and may be the result of a sensor malfunction, if verified, this will be the highest temperature ever recorded in the nation.
The average temperature in the city was between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to M. Mohapatra, director general of the IMD. Of Delhi’s 20 monitoring stations, 14 of them registered a decrease in temperature.
This week, Delhi and other northern regions of India have already experienced daytime temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius as the country continues to struggle with an intense heatwave that has also impacted voter turnout in the ongoing national election.
The primary meteorological station for the city, located in Safdarjung, recorded a temperature of 45.8C on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the surrounding areas of Mungeshpur, which recorded a temperature of 52C on Wednesday, and Narela recorded 49.9C.
The surrounding regions of Pusa, Pitampura, and Najafgarh also sizzled at 49.8C.
These were the highest temperatures in Delhi ever recorded, surpassing the previous mark of 49.2C set in 2002. Additionally, the measurements are nine degrees higher than typical for this time of year.
In the meantime, this week saw temperatures in the southern Sindh province of neighboring Pakistan rise above 52C, marking the highest level this summer and approaching the nation’s record high.
Along with the rest of Asia and the world, South Asia has been suffering greatly from extreme heatwaves this year. The globe has reached its highest recorded temperature in the last 12 months.
India’s summers have long been oppressive, with temperatures frequently soaring above 40C in the country’s north and center, but recently they have become hotter.
Heatwaves are becoming hotter and more frequent worldwide due to the climate crisis brought on by the combustion of fossil fuels, according to scientists who track the changes in extreme weather.
Extreme temperatures during India’s heatwave in 2022, 2023, and 2024 were determined by scientific investigations to be caused by a climate crisis caused by humans.
“There is no doubt that the biggest threat to India’s health right now is heatwaves,” says Aarti Khosla, head of Climate Trends.
“The recent two days’ temperatures in Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) states demonstrate that the problem is now one of survivability rather than ‘elsewhere.'”
On Thursday, in the midst of extremely high temperatures, an air conditioner in an apartment building in Noida city, which is neighboring to Delhi, started a large fire.
In northern and western India, there have been numerous documented fire events. One such incidence occurred at a children’s hospital in Delhi, when seven babies perished in the fire.
Due to persistently high temperatures above 45C this summer, a large portion of northern and western India, including the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh that encircle Delhi, have been placed on a “red alert.”
According to IMD, a red alert indicates a “very high likelihood” of people experiencing “heat illness and heat stroke” and advises providing “extreme care” for those who are most vulnerable.
Nevertheless, India’s election commission has moved along with polling despite record temperatures and voters complained of heat exhaustion, and turnout has somewhat down compared to the previous election five years ago.
After seven phases of voting over the course of six weeks, the election ends on June 1. The deadline for results is June 4th.
Delhi’s recent heat wave has been attributed to hot winds coming in from Rajasthan, a desert state. But analysts also noted that the absence of green space and urban development of the capital city contributed to the problem.
“Radiation is higher in open spaces with bare land. These areas are abnormally hot due to direct sunlight and a lack of shade, according to Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, who spoke with The Business Standard newspaper.
Some places saw nighttime highs of 36C, which is extremely dangerous since it prevents people from cooling off at night so they can go to sleep.
The local administration of Delhi also limited water supplies due to heat. The primary source, the Yamuna River, was thought to have low water levels.
Although the city’s water supply is never completely uninterrupted, the Delhi administration announced that additional limits would apply to neighborhoods that received water for a few hours twice a day.
Water Minister Atishi, who goes by one name, said on Tuesday, “I appeal to all the residents that whether there is a water problem in your area or not, please use water very carefully.”
Half of India’s workforce is forced to work outside with little to no breaks during the day, while some people can afford to utilize air conditioners and water coolers to combat the heat.
Aditya Valiathan Pillai, a fellow coordinator at Climate Adaptation and Resilience, Sustainable Futures Collaborative, states that “millions of heat-exposed workers without access to cooling will struggle to earn their wages, protect their families, and stay safe” during this intense heat wave.
According to Mr Pillai, heat action measures must be implemented immediately in places like Delhi.
“To counteract the urban heat island effect, long-term solutions like planting trees, altering the layout of buildings, and reducing the density of built areas are equally important.”
According to experts, 50°C heat can be fatal.Although more than six suspected heat stroke deaths have been reported in India thus far, experts believe the real toll may be much higher.
A 40-year-old guy who had heatstroke passed away at a Delhi hospital on Wednesday. Doctors reported that the man’s body temperature exceeded 107C, or about 10 degrees over normal, and that he lived in a room without a fan or chiller.
This is Delhi’s first verified heat-stroke death of the season.
Professor Vidhya Venugopal, the country director of the Sri Ram Institute of Higher Education and Research in Chennai, states that “when the individual is dehydrated, intense heat exposure may thicken their blood and cause organs to shut down, resulting in death within hours, a condition commonly referred to as (‘heat stroke’).
Despite this, there hasn’t been much discussion of the climate crisis or extreme weather in the current election campaign.
Heatwaves that, in the absence of human-caused warming, happened once every ten years are now predicted to happen 2.8 times more frequently, according to the IPCC.
Emissions will return to two to three times their previous frequency if they are not reduced significantly faster than anticipated.
