India’s capital swelters in record 52.3 deg C heat amid unprecedented heatwave
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New Delhi authorities have warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in an intense heatwave.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI - Record heat seared parts of India’s capital for a second day on May 29, reaching a temperature of 52.3 deg C, while an unprecedented heatwave continued to parch some north-western regions.
The unusually high summer temperatures have brought “heatwave to severe heatwave” conditions over the last few days, weather officials said, but added they were likely to ease from May 30 over north-west and central India.
Students fainted in the heat at a government school in the eastern state of Bihar, news agency ANI said, with video images showing a girl lying on a classroom bench as teachers sprinkled her face with water and fanned her with a book.
“Electrolyte imbalance is causing fainting, vomiting and dizziness,” said Dr Rajnikanth Kumar, who treated the students.
Asia has sweltered in a hotter summer in 2024
India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature is 4.5 to 6.4 deg C higher than usual and a severe heatwave when it is 6.5 deg C higher than normal or more.
Residents handed out free cold drinks in Delhi’s Narela area on May 29, where temperatures also ranged as high as 49.9 deg C on May 28.
The local government authorities have set curbs on water supply, citing a shortage, and imposed a fine of 2,000 rupees (S$32) on those wasting water, such as by washing cars.
Water Minister Atishi Marlena has called for “collective responsibility” to stop wasteful water use.
“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,” Ms Atishi said, as reported by the Indian Express.
“The water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” she added.
The federally appointed lieutenant-governor called for water to be handed out at construction sites and measures to shade their workers from the heat, while urging paid time-off from noon to 3pm, when temperatures peak.
A city court declined to hear a consumer case against a telecom company, citing the lack of an air conditioner or cooler in the court, as well as washrooms with scarce water supply.
“In these circumstances, arguments cannot be heard,” the court’s panel of three said in a May 21 order made public this week.
Three deaths were blamed on heat stroke on May 28 in Jaipur in India’s western desert state of Rajasthan, media said, taking the toll to four in the city and at least 13 in the state.
Rising temperatures prompted India’s election body to make additional arrangements when Delhi voted in general elections last week, such as posting paramedics at polling stations.
The country’s meteorological department warned of the heat’s impact on health, especially for infants, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.
At the same time, West Bengal state and the north-eastern state of Mizoram have been hit by gales and lashing rains from Cyclone Remal, which hit India and Bangladesh on May 26, killing more than 38 people.
Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department said the cyclone was “one of the longest in the country’s history”, blaming climate change for the shift. REUTERS, AFP
