 "Delhi hits 52.3 degrees Celsius: Why is the city becoming warmer over the years?")
Delhi is experiencing a real scorcher.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius.
The figure was reported at 2.30 pm by a temperature monitoring station in Delhi’s Mungeshpur.
Mungeshpur, which is in northwest Delhi, recorded a temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, two other stations in Delhi also broke their previous records on Tuesday.
Aya Nagar in south Delhi recorded a recorded a maximum temperature of 47.6 degrees Celsius – surpassing its previous record of 47.4 degrees in May 1988.
A red alert has been issued in the National Capital.
Authorities have asked people to stay indoors, remain hydrated, and avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun during peak hours.
But what happened? And why is Delhi getting warmer over the years?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
Experts have blamed hot winds from Rajasthan for the current situation in Delhi.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional head Kuldeep Srivastava said Delhi’s outskirts are the first areas to be impacted by hot winds from Rajasthan.
“Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds,” Srivastava told PTI.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMahesh Palawat, the vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, “In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot.”
“When wind blows from the west, it affects these areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly,” Palawat explained.
Why is Delhi getting warmer over the years?
According to The Times of India, Delhi deals with extreme heat every year.
However, research from the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar shows that urbanisation has resulted in almost 60 per cent more night-time warming in over 140 prominent Indian cities compared to non-urban areas surrounding them.
Indian Express quoted data from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) as showing that though the past decade showed “little change” when it comes to Delhi’s ambient air temperature compared from 2001 to 2010, the “nature of heat is changing.”
The CSE, using data from the IMD, noted that the past 10 summers had witnessed a “significant increase in relative humidity.”
The piece noted that summers from 2014 to 23 have been on average eight per cent more humid compared to the 2001-2010 period.
While the 2001-2020 average relative humidity was 52.5%, that figure was 60.9 per cent in 2023, 53.5 per cent in 2022, 57.3 per cent in 2021 and 61.4 per cent in 2020.
The CSE added that Delhi is “not cooling down at night.”
The land surface temperatures would come down 12.3 degrees Celsius on average from 2001 to 2010.
However, this has since come down to 11.2 degrees Celsius from 2014 to 2023.
In 2023, that figure was at 9.8 degrees Celsius.
“Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures – people get little chance to recover from daytime heat if temperatures remain high overnight,” the CSE explained.
Experts also blame the urban heat island effect for increasing the temperature in Delhi.
Its buildings, concrete pavements, and asphalt roads absorb and retain heat better than natural landscapes.
Delhi’s location also plays a part.
Unlike coastal cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata, land-locked Delhi has no sea breezes.
“Being landlocked far from the sea, it experiences extremes of both hot and cold temperatures. Summers lack the cooling influence of large water bodies, leading to significant heat buildup,” The Times of Indian noted.
The newspaper also noted that the monsoon season in Delhi arrives later compared to southern India and that the pre-monsoon months (April-June) are typically very dry.
“The lack of rainfall reduces evaporative cooling, which is the process that helps regulate temperature and keeps things feeling cooler,” it said.
‘Threat only going to increase’
Meanwhile, things are predicted to get even worse.
CNBC reported that Greenpeace India has said that the average annual temperature in Delhi will increase five degrees Celsius between 2080 and 2099 if the carbon emission trends continue around the world.
Greenpeace made the prediction based on the sixth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC).
According to the report, Delhi’s annual maximum temperature in June from 1995 to 2014 is at a median of 41.93 degrees Celsius.
That is set to jump to an average of 45.97 degrees Celsius between 2080 and 2099.
The report said the maximum temperature could even reach 48.19 degree Celsius in “some extreme years.”
“If we do not act now, the threat is only going to increase in frequency, duration and magnitude.” Avinash Chanchal, campaign manager, Greenpeace India told the outlet.
With temperatures soaring, the city peak power demand rose to an all-time high of 8,302 MW at 15:36:32 hours on Wednesday, according power discom officials.
This is the first time in the history of the National Capital that its power demand has crossed the 8,300-MW mark. Power distribution companies had estimated the demand to peak at 8,200 MW this summer.
The National Capital is also facing water shortage due to unprecedented summer heat.
Water minister Atishi has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to deploy 200 teams across the city to prevent water-wasting activities like car washing with a hose, overflowing water tanks, and use of domestic water supply for construction and commercial purposes.
With inputs from agencies
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